For the exhibition, Burks also made a series of assemblages, which he calls Material Composition 3 (Crown) and Material Composition 1 (Totem). On the left is an inverted basket, a terra cotta pot with its price tag still on, and the first prototype the studio made of one of the exhibition’s rope vases. On the left is a solid oak base, two baskets, a tabouret made from plywood, and a foamcore study of that tabouret. “It was important for me to make a few gestures that are immediately outside of what we think of as industrial design,” says Burks. “My inspiration comes not only from my background of working with European brands but also from my travels. In Africa, crowns and totems are part of the cultural landscape, and I wanted to reflect that here.”