KOHLER has long emphasized craftsmanship and innovation, and its collaboration with New York-based artist Daniel Arsham showcases that vision. Pushing the boundaries of 3D-printing, the two pioneered a new manufacturing technique to create Rock.01, an edition of 99 authentic 3D-printed vessel bathroom sinks.

The sinks use simplified, organic forms paired with evidence of computer design that’s intentionally left behind to tell a story of old and new. The smooth, shiny, computer-milled surface is juxtaposed with the rough, matte finish of hand-cast brass, which Arsham notes “really adds just a lot of depth, both in meaning and material to the sink.” The brass is finished with an ammonia vapor patina that mimics patina common to traditional sculpture practices. Each sink is crafted by artisans in Kohler, Wisconsin.

“In design, when we see a chair or a sink, we know what they're for, but there is still an artistry in them and the capability of having a different set of meaning within that.”– Daniel Arsham

The Rock.01 project is highlighted at this year’s Design Miami/2021 in Arsham’s Stone Flow installation, which explores the project’s experimental phase and uses giant rocks to emulate the design of the sink. With a series of stone-like objects and forms, he unveils a further exploration of his design process, which plays with organic forms found in nature.

The forms and materials are connected to Arsham's constant goal of interrogating the real and the imagined. Collaborating with KOHLER – a brand that’s brought beauty and artistry to homes for more than a century – expanded on this desire. “A lot of my work is about taking things that people already know or that they're already familiar with and engaging them in those spaces that are not a museum or a gallery or a traditional place that you might expect to see art,” he notes. “So obviously, a bathroom – something that you are engaging with every day, multiple times a day – is a really interesting place to work.”