salvage chair by jay sae jung oh repurposes plastic, leather, and plywood into a royal throne

jay sae jung oh crafts rippling design

A regal throne made from various plastics, leather cords, and plywood finds its home under the recycling craftsmanship of Seattle-based designer Jay Sae Jung Oh and her ongoing series Salvage Chair. The design of her recent addition named ‘Salvage Series Chatsworth Chair’ swirls and ripples, creating a magnetizing visual that hypnotizes viewers and whisks them into a psychedelic state.

The bespoke piece of design, which is represented by Salon 94 Gallery in New York City, appears in the group show ‘Mirror Mirror: Reflections on Design at Chatsworth’ in the UK which is on display in the house and garden from March 18th to October 1st, 2023. The exhibition is delivered in partnership with Friedman Benda gallery and with the support of Salon 94 Design and Adrian Sassoon galleries.

Salvage Series Chatsworth Chair, Various plastics, leather cord and plywood, 2022 | images courtesy of Jay Sae Jung Oh and Salon 94 Design | photos by Ian Allen

A myriad of images comes to the forefront when viewers halt for a while to gaze at Oh’s Salvage Chair. Somehow, Oh becomes a maven of injected hidden clues that encourage viewers to venture into her whimsical game of treasure hunt. A drum with a set of drumsticks for a member of the marching band sits on the left. A trumpet held onto by an invisible force springs up on the right.

A round woven basket rests on the lower left. A designer’s handbag sneakily tries to mimic the wooden background but elegantly fails on the lower right. On the right side, a rotating planet is nestled into the craft, just below the two small-shaped donuts that seemingly act as the planet’s eyes. Still on the right side, a leaning drum slacks off below protruding plate.

A treasure hunt for Salvage Chair

Behind the recent Salvage Chair by Jay Sae Jung Oh, more objects bob up as if clothed by a stretchy and sturdy blanket that refrains them from bursting out or creating seams. A triangular house with a triangular entrance is hooked over what seems like the upper globe part of a bedpost. On the roof of the house, a purse is tipped, but all the things inside remain stuffed in its leather cove since the purse’s lock is snapped.

A forgotten gift box lays the groundwork of the chair, unopened and unwrapped with no recipient. A large spinning top toy sticks out of the chair’s behind and gets mauled by a number of discarded small objects children usually play with first before they leave them on the floor. Going to the left side, circular rugs flatten on the surface of the kingly chair and appear to be sliding down, but are held off.

If the viewers’ eyes fail to be attentive, the burrowed French horn adjacent to the slipping rugs might move past their vision. The obvious electric guitar tilts and suspends its position at the bottom of the ensemble, somewhat finishing the treasure hunt, although that may be debatable from the series of tiny items that Oh snuck into her chair design.

Swiveling effect through the flow of leather cords

The recent Salvage Chair by Jay Sae Jung Oh brings out the regalness in plastic, leather, and plywood through the artistry of the designer. From afar, the honeyed reflection of the wooden palette transcends the viewers into believing that whoever sits on the chair may have the authority to be worshipped, regardless of the norms.

Salvage Chair then gifts the individual who yearns to sit on it an opportunity to hold onto the transient royal pleasure, all while basking in the idyllic and homespun piece of furniture by Oh. A visual call into the world beyond, Salvage Chair’s swiveling effect reflects being vacuumed into the parallel universe.

Both symmetric and asymmetric, the undulating lines of the leather cords exhilarate the eyes to benefit from the docile, good-natured qualities of the viewers, making them believe that what they see might not be what they see.