Alumation Collection: Letters After Midnight, 2024
Nick Missel
Alumation Collection: Letters After Midnight, 2024
Aluminum radiators, resin, fiberglass
36 x 84 x 30 in
Nick Missel’s Alumation Collection transforms salvaged car radiators into striking sculptural furniture through an intensive process of deconstruction and reconfiguration. Missel begins by sourcing bales of aluminum radiators from salvage yards, meticulously pulling them apart to reveal their intricate, machine-made patterns. These fragments are then reassembled into new forms— sometimes tightly composed to retain but obscure the industrial origins, other times arranged more loosely, where individual strands of aluminum take on an ethereal, almost smoke-like quality.
To enhance these compositions, Missel impregnates the negative spaces with resin, creating a fascinating interplay of texture and transparency. This technique is exemplified in works like the Gravity Well mirror, where delicate strands of aluminum appear to float in suspension, and the Core table, where the material’s innate structure is both celebrated and transformed into something entirely new. By seeing the inherent beauty in these otherwise banal components, Missel reimagines them as objects of art and design, offering a fresh perspective on the value of overlooked materials.
Two of the most ambitious works in Nick Missel’s Alumation Collection are the sculptural lounge chair Breakpoint and the open-shelved credenza Letters After Midnight. These imposing pieces of functional design push the boundaries of traditional materials and processes, embodying a bold reimagining of form and texture. Breakpoint twists and undulates with a muscular energy reminiscent of Rodin’s sculptures, while Letters After Midnight expands the concept into a larger, more architectural scale, its open shelving and fractured surfaces creating a sense of dynamic tension. In both pieces, the fragmented aluminum patterns are tessellated into an otherworldly visual language of glyphs, blending industrial precision with organic complexity. These works exemplify Missel’s ability to transform raw, salvaged materials into objects that are as conceptually rich as they are physically compelling.
