Field Study: Andu Masebo’s Part Collection

Andu Masebo’s Part Collection, shown in the V&A, is several pieces of furniture crafted from a single car. A chaise, wine rack, corner shelf, coffee table, lamp, shelving, and coat rack. I first saw the coffee table, chaise, and corner shelf. What struck me at first was the amount of craftsmanship it took to make such fine furniture out of a vehicle. I didn’t know all of the pieces were made from a single Alfa Romeo 145 until I took the time to read the description and quickly discovered the other pieces around the corner from these three pieces. I was astonished at the resourcefulness and the ability to conjure up such an idea. It’s kind of a crazy idea to come up with, to make furniture from a single car. However, this work is right up my alley. I almost envied creativity that Masebo had to come up with this idea, thinking “why the hell didn’t I think of this??” But that’s not the feeling I left with. I found myself giddy and inspired. Smiling like a little kid wandering through the other exhibits, not able to get my mind off of the sheer genius of Masebo. I started thinking of how I could do a spin off project, thinking “okay so he used a car…. Could I use bikes? Could I use any type of scraps I can find?” Realistically, I could do those things… but that’s not enough in my mind. I need something deeper. The idea of the object is not enough.