HDPE series
The HDPE bench and chair are part of an ongoing series of objects made from plastic pressure pipe off-cuts found at local construction sites. The individual pieces were joined using heat fusion, eliminating the need for adhesives or mechanical fasteners and making the chair fully recyclable. Each piece is numbered and comes with a certificate of authenticity.
“During DDW, I presented two works from the ‘HDPE series’ as part of the exhibition ‘Any port in a storm’, curated and organised by Sunyho Mast and Lenny Stöpp. Both objects are made of pieces of waste plastic welded together: The HDPE bench I designed especially for this expo is composed of leftover pieces of gas pipe from a Rotterdam construction site. And the black/orange tube I used for the HDPE chair was previously used to pump away salt water during the construction of an offshore wind farm.”
Rik van Veen is a designer/artist based in Rotterdam. He graduated from the Willem de Kooning Academy as a product designer in 2014, complementing a prior training in mechanical engineering. At his studio-workshop, Rik designs furniture and lighting by hands-on experimenting with waste materials and self-made machines.
Photography: Sonja Mercedes, Lois van Spijk