Hidden is blurring the lines between the digital and the material. Over the last few years, Hidden has exploded through the medium of digital curation. What started as a tasteful Instagram feed has become a full fledged brand, delivering collaborations with Clarks, Salomon, Billionaire Boys Club and more as well as their own branded apparel and accessories. Hidden has also remained totally anonymous since the beginning, maintaining the entity’s total focus on functioning as a window into the past, present, and future of the worlds of fashion and music.
Earlier this year, the digital curator partnered with Caliper, a Madrid-based design studio to translate Hidden’s vision into physical objects for the brand’s New York Pop-Up in May. The outcome was a range of furniture and accessories, which included a Hidden Green Bench and an aluminum Valet Stand. “The bench was originally envisioned as part of the furnishings for the Hidden NY pop up in New York earlier in the year,” says Quinner Baird of Caliper. “We were looking at decorative solutions that were both functional, in this case a place to sit and rest, and that embodied Hidden as a brand.”
Hidden’s relationship with Caliper goes back to 2020, when Hidden began producing their first accessories and objects. The collaboration resulted in Hidden branded ice trays, set squares, dice, keyrings, sake cup sets and coasters, bottle openers, aluminum trays, and ashtrays. Inspired by Apple’s use of an anodised aluminum finish, most of Hidden’s accessories with Caliper are made from the same material. “The Hidden range of home accessories has since the beginning taken the anodised aluminum finish found on Apple computer products and translated it onto anything from a simple tray to a set square, so when approached to develop this concept into a piece of furniture it was a natural starting point,” says Baird.
After working together on so many different pieces, it’s no wonder that the latest collaboration seems like a seamless extension of Hidden’s essence and point of view. Officially given the title of “Mac Pro Bench”, this piece is literally made using two Mac Pro Towers and a folded aluminum bench top. “The Macs themselves are recycled Mac Pros, which were the pinnacle of professional computing within the creative world,” says Baird. “Stepping inside any design or photography studio during this period, this is the computer you would find sitting under each desk.”
For those who would’ve used the Mac Pro at some point in the past, this bench is likely to invoke some sense of nostalgia, which may be the point. “My approach is to be as genuine to myself as possible, I try not to anticipate praise or criticism,” says Hidden’s anonymous curator. “When an item is made, I’m making it for the 14 year old version of myself. What would excite him and inspire him? My aim is to spread inspiration and create an atmosphere where newcomers can enter into these guarded professions.”
Hidden’s Mac Pro Bench offers those who interact with it a look at the world through the digital curator’s eyes. Operating with a focus on “Past, Present, Future,” Hidden has taken a historically utilitarian object and transformed it into a fixture that can find its resting place as a functional part of an environment. “For me, this bench is a nod to the platforms and software that are the primary tools for creating a company like Hidden,” he says. “It’s a functional art piece that takes the creative tools allowing the brand to be created and uses them as a piece of furniture.”
It is clear that for both parties, Hidden and Caliper, it was important that the nostalgic feelings that run through the brand’s curated feeds were embodied in this bench. “Developing this piece was about embodying what Hidden is as a brand in the form of furniture, anonymity and the internet,” says Baird. As their partnership progresses, we’ll be waiting with eager anticipation to see how the rest of Hidden’s world blurs together the traditionally separated spaces of the digital and material.
Hidden and Caliper’s work is on display during Milan Design Week along with the other creatives involved in the Art & Residence Program presented by Daniel Arsham and StockX. “Art & Residence” presented by Daniel Arsham & StockX explores this converging of worlds and taps non-traditional creatives to push the boundaries of what a chair can be. From fashion designers to architects, “Art & Residence” bridges creative communities – from the world of StockX, to the storied platform of Milan Design Week. For more information on the creatives involved in the program, you can click here.
