Nathan Yong's stainless steel works are chilling yet inviting | Wallpaper

Oct 15, 2024

‘A chair becomes inviting and chilling at the same time': Nathan Yong on his stainless steel tubular designs for his showcase at Art Commune Gallery, Singapore

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Prized for its durability, low maintenance and pliability, stainless steel may be a ubiquitous material; but in the hands of Nathan Yong, it becomes a thoughtful metaphor for cultural identity and social displacement.

Coinciding with this year’s edition of Singapore Design Week, ‘Being and Nothingness - A Discourse on Identity’ is the Singaporean designer’s latest salvo in a career-long investigation into the prickly relationship between art, industrial design, and social dysfunction.

‘Article no. 3’, mirror finish stainless steel, 40 x 79 x 53.5 cm (Editions of 8)

Yong wanted to work with stainless steel precisely because of its ubiquity as a building material in Singapore. ‘We use it as sidewalk rails. It’s in our MRT subway stations and even in our hawker centres,’ he says, explaining that urban planners prize the material for its efficiency, colour-neutrality and ability to withstand scratches and stains.

It belatedly occurred to Yong – who counts Donald Judd and Dan Flavin as design polestars – that these same qualities are to be found within the Singaporean psyche; he points out, half joking, that ‘we are clean, efficient, easy to maintain, and able to gel with our surroundings. In fact, we are a society that has modernised at fast speed. I feel that this has resulted in a loss of individuality.’

‘Article no. 2’, mirror finish stainless steel, 50 x 72.8 x 170.8 cm (Editions of 3)

Out of this observation was born the current collection of home furniture. Comprising 11 quotidian pieces ranging from a sofa, a standing screen and a vase to a lounger, a chair and a bar stool – each constructed of mirror-polished Grade 304 stainless steel – ‘Being and Nothingness’ is superbly tactile in its combination of rectilinear and curved lines; familiar in the silhouette, while a little alien in expression.

‘Articles no. 5, 6, 7, 8 & 9’, mirror finish stainless steel, assorted Sizes (Editions of 5)

‘What interests me here is the interplay between the reflective qualities of stainless steel and its inherent lack of warmth, and how, in turn, that challenges us to look for a balance between efficiency and human connection, between order and individuality.’

Interestingly, Yong says that while his intention was to dissect the bland homogenisation of a culture, the process of creating the collection was tricky and nuanced. Working with a family of metalsmiths in northern Malaysia, the immediate challenge was to find the right thickness so that the sheets were structurally strong and not flimsy, yet retained a visual lightness. These then had to be painstakingly ground to create the welding joints, before each completed piece was finally hand-polished to a mirrored finish.

Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.

‘Article no. 2’, mirror finish stainless steel, 50 x 72.8 x 170.8 cm (Editions of 3)

Beyond being fascinating objets de la maison, Yong – who is currently working on a new home brand called Nathan Home – hopes his new collection invites a degree of introspection, especially in the context of the material’s public urban provenance, latterly transplanted into the private space of a home. ‘A chair becomes inviting and chilling at the same time,’ he says, thinking, perhaps, of the tubular, beautifully awkward chair, ‘Article no. 1’.

Whether the average furniture aficionado will quite reach the level of introspection about a chair or bar stool that Yong demands – even one as rigorously designed as his is – remains to be seen, but if nothing else, you’d be sitting pretty in the process.

‘Article no. 1’, mirror finish stainless steel, 110 x 62.5 x 70 cm (Edition of 1)

‘Nothingness – A Discourse on Identity’ is showing at Art Commune Gallery until 16 October 2024, www.artcommune.com.sg. The collection is also available for sale at the gallery, in limited editions of one, three, five, eight and ten pieces. Prices start from S$7,000. www.nathanyongdesign.com

Daven Wu is the Singapore Editor at Wallpaper*. A former corporate lawyer, he has been covering Singapore and the neighbouring South-East Asian region since 1999, writing extensively about architecture, design, and travel for both the magazine and website. He is also the City Editor for the Phaidon Wallpaper* City Guide to Singapore.

Simple Design Archive, located in China’s Anhui province, is a private museum by HAS Design and Research, fostering a contemplative environment

By Ellie StathakiPublished 14 October 24

Tesla’s new marketing push predicts a future of robot cabs, automated buses and autonomous home androids. We already want to get off

By Jonathan BellPublished 13 October 24

As Discothèque gets ready to launch its first perfume collection, Mary Cleary catches up with the brand’s founders

By Mary ClearyPublished 13 October 24

Singapore Design Week 2024 (26 September to 6 October) brings a vibrant roster of artists and galleries ‘who shape our society through design… and enhance how we experience life’

By Daven WuPublished 28 August 24

Yoko Choy introduces Urban Fabric, a commissioned series for Dubai’s Gallery Collectional (on view until 31 March 2024), showcasing varying designs of contemporary craftsmanship from artists across China, Japan, Singapore and South Korea

By Jasper SpiresPublished 10 March 24

Singapore Design Week 2023 (until 1 October) explores the theme ‘Better By Design’ with exhibitions at the National Design Center and across the city

By Laura May ToddPublished 29 September 23

Supported by DesignSingapore Council, ‘Future Impact’ at Milan Design Week 2023 presents Singapore as a design-led hub of innovation and creativity

By Cristina Kiran PiottiPublished 25 April 23

WeWork Singapore opens – a 21-storey flagship co-working space and the company’s second-largest globally

By Martha ElliottPublished 19 December 22

Introducing our new series, which shines light on the creativity and resilience of designers around the world as they confront the challenges wrought by the Covid-19 pandemic. Working with contributing editors across eleven global territories, we reach out to creative talents to ponder the power of design in difficult times and share messages of hope. Here, on the eve of a monthlong lockdown in the city state, our Singapore editor Daven Wu checked in with architect Charles Wee, artist Dawn Ng, and designers Elyn Wong, Clara Yee and Olivia Lee, discovering tales of self reflection, crisis messaging and mutual assistance.

By Daven WuLast updated 31 October 22

By TF ChanLast updated 26 August 22