I still can’t quite believe my eyes . . . but Estonian sculptor Mati Karmin has made a range of furniture out of old naval mines – the explosive variety! He gets them from an old Soviet mine assembly facility on Naissaar Island in the Baltic Sea.
When the Soviet Union withdrew from Estonia, the explosive charges were removed from the mines and the casings left behind, leaving Mr. Karmin a great deal of raw material upon which to exercise his creative instincts.
He’s been able to use his imagination to convert the old mine casings into almost any item of furniture you can imagine – fully functional, too! Here are some examples of his work. First, an interior fireplace:
A baby carriage:
I particularly like this chair, fitted with wheels made from track rollers off a wrecked Nazi tank dating back to World War II!
A suspended bar cabinet (do note the mask on top, wearing a Russian fur hat – it almost looks like a caricature of Osama bin Laden!):
And a charcoal grill:
There are many more pictures at the link. All his work is available for sale, although I’m not sure what shipping and import costs would be to get it into the USA.
I have to admire Mr. Karmin’s imagination and creativity. I have only one request. If we want to give a chair, or a fireplace, or something, to someone whom we . . . er . . . dislike, could he arrange to make one with at least some of the explosive filling still intact – and a fuse or two?
Peter
Those are awesome. 🙂
I'd take that grill and set it up as a smoker in a heartbeat!
tweaker
Great Steam Punk material/Art too!
The baby carriage and grill are awesome – though I like that indoor fireplace.
I'm in for a chair and my share of the shipping for a sea-can. I might need to reinforce the floor a little, but them's the breaks.
Jim
Dang, perfect gift for a retiring guy on my squad… wish I had that kind of money!
It does have a certain Soviet charm, eh?
Antibubba
One of these would make an awesome smoker if tuned right. Couldn't you mimagine an all-night brisket or pork shoulder tasting better out of a mine?