DEAD GROUND
Designer - Elias Båth
Year - 2019-2020
Materials - Slag (metal waste), blasted steel
Dimensions - 25 × 33 × 52 cm (1), 15 × 44 × 56 cm (2); 9 7/8 × 13 × 20 1/2 in (1), 5 7/8 × 17 1/4 × 22 in (2)
These side tables are a diagram of a material’s journey—from extraction to product to landfill. Steel is a loaded material; it has shaped welfare as world wars and divided countries into production and utilization. I followed Sweden’s steel from Kiruna’s deep mines to Smedjebacken’s steaming hot blast furnaces to experience a material’s lifecycle. I was given access to the industry’s waste material and started sculpting furniture right from the landfills. It is a long journey, and it will continue for me, but the crumbles of furniture I leave behind may tell a story in their simplicity.