The offset wrench is a masterclass in functional geometry, an object shaped entirely by the demands of leverage and the constraints of tight spaces. For Japanese artist Iyo Hasegawa, however, the tool’s utility is secondary to its potential as a modular building block. In her "Wrench" series, Hasegawa repurposes these mass-produced steel implements into a collection of furniture that sits at the intersection of industrial surplus and sculptural rigor.
The construction of the pieces is deceptively straightforward. Hasegawa utilizes threaded rods as a central spine, threading them through the ring ends of stacked wrenches. By varying the orientation and the offset of each tool, she creates rhythmic, skeletal structures that function as table legs and supports. The repetitive stacking transforms a singular, utilitarian object into a complex, textured surface that feels both heavy and strangely delicate.
There is a quiet subversion in Hasegawa’s choice of material. By using a tool designed to assemble other things, she makes the assembly itself the final product. The result is a commentary on the "readymade" in the 21st century—a reminder that the most common industrial artifacts possess a formal elegance that is often obscured by their own usefulness.
With reporting from Core77.
Source · Core77
