Caliper creates over-engineered adjustable drafting table for Daniel Arsham
Industrial design studio Caliper has developed a drafting table for American artist Daniel Arsham, featuring a backlit surface and magnifying lamp to support the creation of his small-scale charcoal and graphite drawings.
New York-based Arsham, who is known for his work exploring the concept of fictional archaeology, commissioned Caliper to design and manufacture the table using the studio's signature bead-blasted, anodised aluminium.
The Madrid-based studio founded by Quinner Baird previously worked with Arsham on projects including a limited edition poker set and the artist's clothing brand Hidden NY.
"Daniel's team gave us an outline of the required specifications," Baird told Dezeen. "And we drew from the material language that we had worked on together in previous collaborations, developing a form that aligned both with him as an artist and us as a studio."
The table was manufactured by Caliper from CNC-machined aluminium and features a large backlit drawing surface with an adjustable magnifying lamp to support detailed work.
The designers developed a tabletop tilt function and height-adjustment system to ensure the drawing surface can be used comfortably in both seated and standing positions.
"The development of the tilt and height adjustment were both technically challenging," Baird said.
"Implementing these two types of adjustments while maintaining an incredibly stable drawing surface meant over-engineering the gearing systems to some degree, while maintaining a visual aesthetic with the rest of the table."
In addition to the key functionality, the table includes storage compartments that provide straightforward access to paper, charcoal and other tools, as well as surface-mounted charging ports and controls for the light sources.
According to Baird, Arsham has enjoyed using the drafting table and has already ordered a second version, which will allow Caliper to make improvements to its original design.
"Projects like this are effectively prototypes," he added. "So having the opportunity to rework some of the smaller details, streamlining the manufacturing and assembly process is a great way to further improve and refine a special piece of furniture."
Multidisciplinary artist Arsham is best known for creating eroded casts of modern artefacts and pop culture icons.
He previously collaborated with Japanese design studio Nendo on an exhibition of partially destroyed styrofoam objects and with bathroom and kitchen brand Kohler on a layered, portal-like installation for the 2022 Milan design week.
Arsham is also the co-founder of collaborative architecture practice Snarkitecture, which develops experimental projects such as a flagship store for Pharrell Williams' clothing brand and a store for streetwear brand Kith featuring a chandelier made from Nike sneakers.
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