They say “two heads are better than one,” and we believe in this saying if the subject is the design art duo Batten and Kamp. Currently based in Hong Kong, New Zealand-born Alexandra Batten and Daniel Kamp have been working on one-of-a-kind furniture pieces that sell and are being acquired by galleries and clients from all over the world. Batten and Kamp is a creative partnership between two talented designers whose works are exhibited at galleries in New York, Shanghai, Paris, Tokyo, Seoul, Copenhagen, and Hong Kong. Their projects are all functional sculptures that many creatives and collectors patronize for their brilliance, allure, and unique charm. The two are in a successful creative partnership that works by launching fascinating, rare, and attractive objects like this well-designed lounge chair.
Designers: Alexandra Batten and Daniel Kamp
Alexandra Batten and Daniel Kamp’s latest collection is a limited edition release of common objects we use every day—things you can find at home like lights, a table, sculptures, and lounge chairs. Elsewhere is a new collection of furniture items that appear more like sculptures but still function as they are supposed to. One remarkable piece we are focusing on is the Origin lounge chair that features a jet black plywood resting on a giant mass of stone, offering sturdy support, height, and comfort.
Aside from the bent plywood, the Origin lounge chair also uses granite, acrylic, and stainless steel fastenings. This thing measures 1400mm x 600mm x 900mm (LWH), and it is one furniture piece you would want to put on your patio or just about anywhere you want to lounge, chill, or relax. If you don’t think a lounge chair like this is that important, then maybe it’s time you understand what the words rest and relaxation really mean.
The whole collection by Batten and Kamp consists of seven pieces, including a table, sculptures, and lights. The Origin lounge chair is actually just one of the two chairs as there is also the transparent version called the Elsewhere Acrylic Chaise. Like the Origin, the other piece is a product of creativity, combining beautiful shapes naturally formed, then constructed from whatever fragments of earth are available. The effect is minimalist but with a hint of surrealism that makes every piece unique, mysterious, and interesting.
The design duo usually utilizes different materials that are almost eclectic that may not suit the tastes of some people. But what we have seen so far is pretty dramatic with the choice and combination of materials from bent plywood to acrylic to cast aluminum to boulders, neon, silk, and titanium. These are minimal materials, yet when mixed create pieces that are appealing, majestic, and sometimes other-worldly.
Batten and Kamp imagines the Origin lounge chair as something you’d be comfortably lying on while on a “windswept coastline of New Zealand staring out into space”. Meanwhile, the transparent version, Elswhere, is imagined on a “rocky surface of another planet looking longingly back at earth.” It doesn’t matter what you get between the two versions because they are both stunning pieces and are good enough to be conversation starters.
Batten and Kamp have been creating exquisite art pieces and functional sculptures using different materials. They have already shared and showcased their works at top galleries worldwide—from Hong Kong to Tokyo, Seoul, Shanghai, Copenhagen, Paris, and New York. We highly doubt the Elsewhere collection will be the last of the two. They’ve just started making a mark in the furniture design industry, and we know they have a bright future ahead.
