Human forms created from densely welded chains

Korean sculptor Yeong-Deok Seo works with densely welded bicycle (and other) chains, creating beautiful, hollow forms with strange, irregular surfaces and voids.

(via Colossal)

Seo young Deok :: 네이버 블로그 [blog.naver.com]

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

MORE: anatomy • art • korea • sculpture

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Guest

Spectacular! Such a hard material, yet I want to run my fingers over it exploring the highlights and recesses. It evokes gentleness.
kP

Looks beautiful, but I suspect it is very heavy, and quite brittle.
- TJ
  
  kP, art doesn’t ordinarily claim to be “practical,” so I don’t really think it matters if it’s brittle or heavy? :P
  
  Personally, I love how the lighting brings out the different planes of the face. Gorgeous.
SamSam

This is beautiful. I think the fact that it looks light and gossamer, yet is made from heavy welded chains, is what makes it great.

I wonder if he welds it as he sculpts, which would seem to be to be extraordinary, or if he has some way to either first cast the shape in a hollow mold or, more likely, can bind the chains with something like a rubbery glue, so that he can push and shape the sculpture into its form before welding it.
s2redux

In before “Those chains could have powered hundreds of bicycles in <:destitute-locale-of-the-day:> to perform <:typically-overlooked-life-critical-task:>; this “art” simply promotes the narcissistic 1st world hegemony that prevents all boats from rising. Bah.”
- Finnagain
  
  But what do the protesters want?
Finnagain

This is a great piece! If you like it, check out Bliss Dance:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/michaelholden/4937166168/
voiceinthedistance

No signs of welds on the outside, so presumably all welded from the back/inside. This seems like an incredibly challenging way to work, but the forms maintain grace and flow. I assume that they have to be sculpted in another form and then the final art is assembled in a negative mold. However it’s done, though, it is beautiful.
hadlockk

IANA Welder, but shouldn’t that be “densely folded, welded bicycle chain”, not “densely welded chain”. The only way to make metal more dense is to electromagnetically shrink it.

BTW if you have time you should definitely check out electomagnetically shrunken coins: http://205.243.100.155/frames/shrinkergallery.html

Youtube version (magical green flash): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gs51nH46F-g
Chris Scott

I read “welded chairs”. Which would make this 20 storeys high. Very disappointed.
CountZero

That is quite spectacularly lovely. The subtlety of the modelling is stunning. A good source of raw material out there, with so many people using bikes. I’d love to see his work in an exhibition. Not unlike the British artist David Mac, who sculpts hollow figures using wire coat hangers.
awjt

Those are funny skin puffs on the sides of the nose; otherwise fine form!
AirPillo

Is that as enormous as it looks in the picture? It’s hard to get a sense of scale, but I imagine it’s pretty humbling.