Johnny Swing is a pseudonym for a furniture designer who has created a series of chairs using ordinary items as material for his work. He is a trained sculptor and licensed welder, and not a porn star as his name might suggest. (Did anyone else think that?)Born in Salisbury, Connecticut in 1961, he studied at Skidmore College (I almost went there) and then the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. He has been working as a professional artist for the past two decades: first in NYC’s Greenwich Village and now on his farm in Vermont. His past experience includes creating furniture and interiors for corporate clients, as well as appearing on the Discovery Channel show, "Junkyard Wars” (2001-2003 seasons). His works can be found in the Robert Crowell Museum in Newfane, Vermont and the Storm King Arts Center, Mountainville, New York.
His interest in coins isn’t anything new. When he was five, he set up a toll both during his parent’s parties where guests would have to buy one of his drawings before they were allowed to pass through the hallway.
Johnny Swing has created his Obsessive Furniture Line which makes use of common, everyday materials like glass jars, nickels and coins repurposing them to give new life to ordinary objects.
He has also created a series of chairs created from coins -- functional furniture creations which also serve as unique pieces of sculpture.
QUARTER SIDE CHAIR (2002)
This is the fourth in his coin series, but my favorite. The coins are not welded together which lends to a clean, floating appearance. Instead, they are held together with a U-shaped metal wire which is welded at the back side edges of the coins. The legs are stainless steel.
Some critics have said he defacing money by using it in this manner. But there is something so slick, cool and shimmery about his chairs -- like a bonefish quietly swimming in shallow, brilliant tropical waters before it darts away. At first, they seem unyielding and cold, but there is something so tactile and intriguing. I’ve been reading that one of these chairs will set you back anywhere from $10,000 each to $25,000.
NICKEL COUCH (2001)
This sofa is the second in a series of furniture made from coins. Created from 7,000 nickels, it is fixed together with 35,000 welds and rests on a substructure of stainless truss work. It weighs about 125-lbs. Johnny Swing spends about 300 hours sculpting one of these. I read it retailed for $51,000 a few years back.
Above is the artist in his creation. However, there is something about this arm I find a little… threatening. Anyone see this too?
BUTTERFLY CHAIR (2002)
This is the third in the series: each chair uses 1500 half dollars and is created with 7000 welds. It looks comfortable, no doubt. I’d put a pillow behind my head, curl up sideways and flip on Bravo TV. (A bit reminiscent of Eero Saarinen’s Womb Chair.)
You can purchase this one on Vivre for a small $59,000 – yes, the amount of 0s I typed are correct.
See more on his Johnny Swing site HERE ; And on Design Boom ; Top image from Metropolis Magazine click HERE to read an interview
Anyone? Thoughts?
10 comments:
I love the way Johnny Swing's mind works -- the butterfly chair is a design that has been around a long time -- but he made it out of 50 cent pieces, whoa. That is dynamite thinking. He has this way of taking hard materials and making a comfortable rolled look like with the nickel sofa.
Nice blog, thanks for showing us Johnny Swing stuff.
Chainmail armour for the home warrior? Interesting idea and I love the backside showing the infrastructure. Wish I had learned welding. Regarding comfort, do people really use Swing's work as seating or for sculpture? I guess this is an example of getting your money's worth.
Home, I like the backside as well. More than the front. Not sure if one would be getting their money's worth -- did you see the price tag! Talk about inflation.
Amy Carol, I too like the juxtaposition of how he has taken a hard material and made it look soft. Wish the butterfly chair was of another shape. Lots of "borrowing" in form this past decade from previous designers.
Excuse me, is this supposed to be yard furniture or garden sculpture?
Sorry, even if the price tag was completely without zero's, I wouldn't have it in my home. It doesn't look a bit comfortable and pillows would only slide off.
Virginia, in the middle of this decade people were beginning to elevate particular pieces of furniture by particular designers as 'high art' -- something pioneers of the Arts + Crafts movement were championing during the mid-19thc. They believed that everything -- every object -- should be considered art, and fine art should not be considered superior. I have to admit, I was drawn to these chairs -- the idea -- until I saw the price tag. And then things changed. I like the concept, but I don't understand the meaning behind it: taking an everyday object that people use everyday, recycle it, recreate it into another form that is used everyday (i.e., a chair), but pricing it to make something absolutely intangible. I understand the need for compensation, however, now this design cannot be enjoyed by all. (elitist)
It is not really my favorite of furniture but I love people creating something new and special.
Greet
Greet, I'm with ya....
These remind me of molton lava, lots of movement for an inanimate object. Definitely interesting, although the one thing that bothers me is the wirey legs— they seem to detract from all the "softness" of the metal elsewhere.
Lauren, good eye. Wow, you're right. Something too spindly about those legs. Not in proportion. Like when the wrong leg is put into a good shoe for an advertisement.
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