Mar 20, 2024

MUDDYCAP

I WANT TO SEE MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY SITTING IN THESE CHAIRS

How did Korean 3D artist Muddycap wow the modern furniture design world without ever selling a single real chair?

It all started in 2020, on February 18-19 in South Korea, the number of Covid-19 cases rose 100% day by day, the authorities, like in most of the world urged citizens to self-isolate. The quarantine continued for a long time, but it was during the most difficult days of Covid-19 for Korea that the interesting events spun up for us. According to HOLLYFLAME, on February 22, 2020, a bunch of renders of a student still unknown to anyone appeared on Instagram at once. The renders included shoes, keychains, miniature skateboarding spots, shelves, vases and even hangers. Standing alone was the "Personal bar stool," a nicely colored rendering depicting a tall stool for sitting behind the bar. The student who posted all these renders was Muddycap, who later became one of the most famous 3D chair artists. He will be the subject of the first issue of HOLLYFLAME magazine.

"When I first started my account, I knew next to nothing about chairs and wasn't particularly interested in them - I also made tables, lamps, shoes, etc. - but the audience was more interested in chairs than anything else."

Muddycap, according to his Instagram account is a "Non-Artist" who "Just makes chairs in South Korea." In an interview with Hypebeast in 2023, the designer admitted that after majoring in art at university, he was disappointed with the curriculum offered. There were more things he wanted to do, he said, and interests were elsewhere. The interests, in turn, required both time and money - two things he lacked. It was at that point that the now-established designer began studying 3D art and visualization, finding a medium for his creative pursuits.

In the same interview, Maddycup mentioned that he started creating things in 3D on a friend's old laptop and posting them to Instagram. According to him, it was very convenient because with the laptop, the designer could do anything, whenever and wherever he wanted.

Despite the fact that the artist started creating 3D chairs relatively recently, just 4 years ago, the number of works on his account, according to the statistics analyzed by HOLLYFLAME, has already exceeded 800, posts appear at intervals of 1-4 days, and during his work the designer has received respect from many famous colleagues, including the late Virgil Abloh (Muddycap shares respects from other designers, artists and magazines in its Highlights - HOLLYFLAME note).

Chairs play an important role in our lives

Maddy's work always starts with an abstract idea, and even by the middle of the process, the final shape of the product may not be 100 percent clear. The 3D artist says the longest part of the process is shaping the details. "I don't usually think about colors until the rendering stage, so they depend on the mood at the time," the artist notes. Also, he says, much of the work is a bit spontaneous.

Once the rendering is complete, the work is titled and takes a well-deserved place in the gallery of chairs on the creator's account. Despite the huge number of 3D works, the designer's fans wonder why none of the ideas have been realized.

"How to order?" one subscriber writes in the comments of the post. "They are unreal, it's CGI rendering," replies another fan. A third, however, is perplexed as to why the post's caption lists maple as a production material.

It's all about the fact that part of the designer's process is to think about the production material. What does he do it for? In an interview with Adobe Korea in 2021, the 3D artist admitted that the most basic purpose of the work is to create what he would like to realize in reality.

"If the production conditions are met, I plan to slowly turn it (the chair - HOLLYFLAME note) into a real product," the designer shared in the same interview. Spoiler: real chairs do exist and are even on sale.

"The chair is always with me when I sit down."

On design projects and inspiration

Speaking about Muddycap's works themselves, it is safe to say that there is no particular style, apart from, of course, the base in the form of an object that fulfills the function of a chair. The artist is inspired by absolutely everything, including objects from popular culture, other designers, brands, flora and fauna, animals and even natural phenomena. "Since the chair consists of a seat, back and legs, there were enough design elements to make it more interesting than other objects. I think it's a really fascinating subject," notes the designer. Since the range of work is sufficiently wide, it's too early to talk about the designer's termination, as 4 years is an incredibly short time to describe the entire world by superimposing all of the above on the function of a chair.

About Real Chairs

When talking about channels to monetise his work, 2021 Muddycap mentioned NFT as one possible way. According to HOLLYFLAME, the online NFT selling platform "Foundation" has an account with the nickname @Muddycap, with the same avatar as the designer's Instagram. According to the site, there are two works on the seller's account, the first, titled "Poong sun", costs 10 ETH (Ethereum is the second most popular cryptocurrency after Bitcoin, the main currency for selling NFT - HOLLYFLAME note), the second - "What is a chair" for 0.497 ETH. The editors sent a request to Muddycap to identify the author's affiliation with an account on the online platform.

In addition to the alleged "Foundation" account, the designer created a collection of phone cases in 2024 with the GRAGG brand and, most importantly, a miniature "Baby chair" that acts as a phone stand. In addition, the chair also has a decorative function and can serve as a small but significant element of the collection.

About future works

Despite all the conventions, Muddycap in 4 years of formation, albeit with reservations, has come to a full realization of its first product. In addition to the aforementioned collaboration, not only miniature but also full-size chairs have already appeared on the designer's Instagram, which may tell us about probable production processes. The magazine's editorial team continues to follow updates on the Muddycap account and will keep readers informed of new drops and announcements!