duffa

The iconic duffel bag has served as an impromptu seat at the airport, train station, or campsite for explorers the world over. I wanted to translate this universal concept into an intentional collection of functional art. Each modular unit is packed with furniture grade foam and lashed together with climbing rope and carabiners to support the next wave of exploration.

This 2022 studio experiment was the realization of a sketch based on a yearning for travel during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Stuffing several XL Base Camp duffels from The North Face with furniture grade foam, we lashed each bag together as building blocks with the help of climbing rope and carabiners.

DUFFA is modular functional art, packed with the spirit of adventure.

Brian Madden's duffa couch made from north face duffel bags and climbing rope, in studio near eero saarinen tulip coffee table and white orchids in sunlit studio
A man smiling and sitting on a yellow duffa couch with The North Face logos, on a black tiled floor in a studio
Colored sketch and ideation of yellow duffa couch, along with a red, yellow, green and blue duffa couch
Colored sketch and ideation of red duffa lounge chair by artist and designer Brian Madden
3D rendered ideation of angled and stacked yellow north face duffel bags stuffed with foam
Tower of white memory foam cylinders and one North face duffel bag stuffed with foam, stacked up in white and gray hallway on a rolling dolly
Pile of white memory foam cylinders and one North face duffel bag stuffed with foam, stacked up against a white wall and on a black tiled floor in sunlit studio
Artist Brian Madden stuffing a memory foam cylinder into The North Face duffel bag in his studio
Artist Brian Madden stuffing a memory foam cylinder into The North Face duffel bag with his knee in his studio
Artist Brian Madden sitting on a North Face duffel bag filled with memory foam in his studio
Six North Face duffels bags stacked in a pyramid shape against a white while next to a window curtain and sitting on a black tiled floor
Brian Madden's duffa lounge chair made of the north face duffel bags and climbing rope, in studio with Raymond Chrisostomo holding up one of the duffel bags
Floral Designer and stylist Tyson Lee and a large fiddlehead lounging on Brian Madden's duffa couch made of the north face duffel bags and climbing rope
two men chatting on Brian Madden's duffa couch made of the north face duffel bags and climbing rope, near white marble coffee table with art and papers
Baby in green striped onesie sleeping in the corner of Brian Madden's yellow duffa couch, a sofa made of duffle bags, foam, carabiners, and climbing rope