The max

This three-dimensional sculpture is exceptionally unique for a piece constructed

of wood. Arranged to highlight the MAX monogram, every board in the design

was selected for its beauty and hand-cut by a craftsperson at Keep Furniture, a

Brooklyn-based custom woodworking company. There, founder and owner

Steven Bennett and his team built the piece over six months. Through the

process of bent lamination, 34 rough boards, cut into pieces and formed into

layers, were sculpted over a series of curved forms using epoxy resin. No longer

reliant on the forms, the wood now holds its shape permanently.

Comprised of maple, much of the fine detail within the piece is actually hidden.

Each of the object’s five layers is made up of dozens of thin strips of handmade

veneer, weaved together to create the silhouette. Through blanket lamination, a

process developed by Bennett, sublayers of veneer are fit together to form an

intricate puzzle. This process creates unity among the individual pieces, while the

intensity of the craftsmanship within each sublayer goes unseen.

Akin to the individual maple strips within each layer forming a stronger whole, the

segments of the overall structure join to become an interconnected shape. The

piece is finished with hand-cut zebra wood veneer, which is emblematic of Max’s

drawing style. Focal points are created by both the presence and absence of

lines, making negative space the key to the minimalist design. Initial concept by

Alex Borysenko.