The Seoul Fingerprint Coasters have become the best seller of NAKD SEOUL. This unique piece of artwork features the map of Seoul printed on a concrete coaster. We at NAKD SEOUL feel it’s more art than coaster though, and just for $30, it’s easy to see why it’s become the most popular item on our service. In celebration, we’ve interviewed the CEO of the brand behind the coaster: Tablework’s Kim Jongchan.
A. I majored in architecture in university before starting Tableworks. As a hobby I made lighting from cement, glass bottles and LEDs, and some people contacted me wanting to buy them. This gave me the idea of starting my own workshop. I honestly didn’t have the guts to quit from a job, so I just decided to start my business instead. It was ruthless, but I thought “if I fail, I’ll just end up at a construction firm.” I took my deposits out from my room and started researching five years ago. That was the start of Tableworks.
A. Concrete has been used by humanity for thousands of years, however they were never really used as materials for objects. However using molds and 3D printers, we can create objects more uniform and freely than with ceramic or wood. Plus, by using such a different material, it gave ordinary objects an entirely new feel.
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A. Our design philosophy is to reinterpret ordinary things into new ways. We make pieces from concrete, material used for construction. We transform the rough texture into a smooth, and sleek material.
The Seoul Fingerprint Coasters were inspired from how many of the daily commuters in Seoul did not know the road patterns of the city even though they were traversing through it everyday. I thought this was something that could be reinterpreted in a new way, and we did so by turning it into a coaster instead of a paper map.
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A. We have many more pieces made of concrete that we have yet to have shown. Our next product will be an object inspired by Hanok (Traditional korean houses). We can’t wait to show it to everyone at NAKD SEOUL. Thank you!
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