Structure
I met designer Yoo-Kyung Shin last May at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York City, where she was displaying a stunning collection of 4GB USB memory sticks that double as jewelry and objets d’art. Shin founded the London–based design studio Logical Art with Hanhsi Chen after their graduation from the Royal College of Art. The pair’s Empty Memory collection features two designs, Structure and Transparency, that contain “a physical emptiness in its sculptural form” that you can fill with your own “memory.” Structure’s geometric form can only be made with the lost-wax casting method that is normally used for industrial components. Transparency expresses its emptiness another way — it is 50% clear acrylic. After a long search for the right production partner, the designers located a manufacturer in Taiwan that is now producing pieces for the studio. Each piece is cast in high-quality, 316 stainless steel, then hand-polished by craftsmen, and finished in various colors.
The Structure version an extra benefit — you can thread a chain through it and wear it as a modern pendant, or even use it as a key ring. With prices ranging from £48-£60, these are most likely the most expensive, and most beautiful USBs you will ever own. What memories would you choose to put on yours?
Structure grouping.
Transparency
Transparency
Each piece is cast in high-quality stainless steel, hand-polished by craftsmen, and finished with various colors.
