overGrown: A Collaboration Between Artist Christopher Kelly and Designer Daniel Hayden
overGrown marks the first collaboration between artist Christopher Kelly and designer-craftsperson Daniel Hayden, a project born from Kelly’s ongoing exploration of neurodivergent experiences through visual art. This collection delves into themes of imbalance, tension, and growth, with each piece reflecting an interplay between the two creators: Hayden’s functional designs are disrupted or reimagined by Kelly’s sculptural forms in textile and wood. Inspired by what Kelly describes as “minimal excess”—where nature finds balance in seemingly disproportionate forms, like an overgrown garden—overGrown redefines familiar objects by challenging their usability and aesthetic boundaries.
In this series, Kelly envelops Hayden’s wooden furniture pieces with organic, crocheted forms, blending accessibility with a deliberate disruption that urges viewers to reconsider these everyday objects. Hayden, in turn, stretches his furniture-making practice conceptually, crafting largely sculptural, furniture-like forms that exaggerate his signature shapes while providing a new context for Kelly’s textile interventions. Together, they create pieces that appear to have been left to grow wild and untamed.
The creative partnership between Kelly and Hayden began at the Future Icons Selects show during London Craft Week 2024, where they connected over their shared appreciation for raw, minimally processed materials and a “perfect imbalance” aesthetic—where tension and disproportionality are embraced as much as balance and harmony.
For Kelly, overGrown is the latest instalment in his ongoing interwoven: dis/functional, neurodiversity and the creative mind project, which examines neurodivergent experiences through art. Using sustainably sourced natural jute twine, Kelly fuses crochet, macramé, and weaving techniques, often integrating discarded furniture pieces to redefine them conceptually. Working with Hayden’s functional designs has deepened Kelly’s exploration of dysfunctionality and accessibility, prompting further insights into the neurodivergent perspective.
In this series, Kelly envelops Hayden’s wooden furniture pieces with organic, crocheted forms, blending accessibility with a deliberate disruption that urges viewers to reconsider these everyday objects. Hayden, in turn, stretches his furniture-making practice conceptually, crafting largely sculptural, furniture-like forms that exaggerate his signature shapes while providing a new context for Kelly’s textile interventions. Together, they create pieces that appear to have been left to grow wild and untamed.
The creative partnership between Kelly and Hayden began at the Future Icons Selects show during London Craft Week 2024, where they connected over their shared appreciation for raw, minimally processed materials and a “perfect imbalance” aesthetic—where tension and disproportionality are embraced as much as balance and harmony.
For Kelly, overGrown is the latest instalment in his ongoing interwoven: dis/functional, neurodiversity and the creative mind project, which examines neurodivergent experiences through art. Using sustainably sourced natural jute twine, Kelly fuses crochet, macramé, and weaving techniques, often integrating discarded furniture pieces to redefine them conceptually. Working with Hayden’s functional designs has deepened Kelly’s exploration of dysfunctionality and accessibility, prompting further insights into the neurodivergent perspective.
Hayden’s work combines traditional techniques and materials with a contemporary design sensibility, creating playful and idiosyncratic pieces that evoke emotional responses and personal connections. Typically, he seeks a balance between beauty and utility; however, in this collaboration, Hayden has embraced an approach where function is no longer assumed. This allows him to explore tension, imbalance, and dialogue—both within his own woodwork and in its interaction with Kelly’s organic forms. Together, overGrown is a compelling commentary on how art and design can reshape our relationships with everyday objects, pushing the boundaries of form and function.
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