arashi abe uses 'asukesi' waste stones from japanese quarry to create one-of-a-kind chair

japanese designer arashi abe created a chair using ‘asukesi’ waste stones, found abandoned in the soft stone quarries of sapporo, japan. deeply interested in the unique texture and character of ‘asukesi’ (meaning ‘bad stone’ in japanese), which has no commercial value, abe has decided to highlight its appeal as a material through an unexpected one-of-a-kind design. 

the ‘akuseki’ stone chair
all images courtesy of arashi abe

in order to complete the piece, arashi abe used ‘akuseki’ stone, iron, wire, and wire clamps. since the ‘asukesi’ stone is very soft, he used brick saws, electric drills, and sandpaper to cut it into smaller volumes. the chair consists of module-like ‘asukesi’ units, that connect two stones with a steel joint sandwiched between them. the whole unit is completed by the tensile action of the wire. the structural frame of the chair is assembled with nine ‘akuseki’ units.

the ‘akuseki’ stone chair from the back — the structural frame composition is clearly visible

the seat was formed by a scrap stone that was produced during the construction of the structural frame. 870 scrap stones with holes drilled into them, were interwoven using tegus. in the end, the seat surface, although made of stones, became as soft as cloth. the production of the ‘akuseki’ stone chair was completed by covering the structural frame with the soft seat surface.

the ‘akuseki’ stone chair seen from the front

‘when I made the ‘akuseki’ stone chair, I planned to minimize the amount of waste from the stone as much as possible — in fact, I was able to use 95% of the stones I got, as parts of the chair’ shares arashi abe. the combination of the ‘akuseki’ stone, steel, and wire gives an unexpected ‘lightness’ and ‘softness’ to the design. meanwhile, the stability of the thin structural frame and the soft stone seat surface generates a surprising effect for users. the ‘akuseki’ stone chair will be open to the public from march 24 to march 31 2021 at the SCU gallery in sapporo, japan.

the bottom of the seat hangs down to the floor

designer arashi abe sitting on the ‘akuseki’ stone chair

detail of the structural frame

detail of the back

detail of the seat

a prototype of the ‘akuseki’ stone unit — a steel joint is sandwiched between two stones and tightened with wires

‘akuseki’ stone left in large quantities at the quarry

designer arashi abe cutting ‘akuseki’ stone — since the stone is soft, it can be easily cut with a brick saw

drawings of the chair

project info:

name: akuseki stone chair
designer: arashi abe

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: myrto katsikopoulou | designboom