The Chelate Table is a one-of-a-kind side table made from walnut, sculpted ceramic epoxy joints, and a hand-forged blackened steel base. Chelate refers to molecular bonding between organic compounds and metal ions, like wood or clay with steel. As with all the objects in this series, the table’s function is never fixed; it’s capable of practical uses such as balancing a drink, book, or tchotchke as much as being a stand-alone sculpture. It features a loop to hold a bag or hanger, doubling as a possible “handle” for easy transportation and repositioning. The curved legs of the table—punctuated by its bulbous feet—animate the table, giving the impression it might spark to life or begin to walk around on its own.

Mason Hunt designs furniture and household goods that embody an uncanny function and handmade-ness in protest of mass production. His artworks emphatically insist on their appeal as display objects as much as their practicality. Combining humble materials like wood, steel, clay, wax, paper, and sculpted epoxy, he prioritizes elegant connections between dissimilar materials, hoping to make objects one can’t help but want to touch.