In nature, most objects that appear random are in actuality following predictable patterns. This duality of entropy generated the idea of creating a conceptual furniture piece focused on ordered chaos.

The experimentation began with spalted wood - a dead wood where fungus mycelium enters and propagates. The effects this produces varies widely from bright colors to inky black lines that traverse through the wood without any correlation to the grain structure.

The initial simple form experimentation began by creating entropy and then ordering it. In this example, I split wood with an axe into small strips then organized them by taper, and length to produce this cone shape.

I pushed the initial experiment further and cut the spalted oak into 3x3” pieces and speed aged it in the oven. This causes the wood fibers to tear themselves apart as the wood rapidly dries. These 3x3” pieces were then intentionally split with a wedge and organized in a grid from least broken to most broken.

Depending on how this piece is displayed it either shows a static grid, or when inverted it shows a broken distorted maw.

The final product was a functional furniture piece representing the dichotomy of order and chaos that nature has perfected.