High-End Custom Manufacturing Company
High-End Custom Manufacturing Company
MJY Fabrication delivered a series of sculptural seating installations designed by local artist Jessie Sohpaul, transforming public spaces across Surrey into interactive works of art. The project merges public art with functional design, creating bold, engaging seating elements that invite interaction while contributing to the cultural identity of the surrounding environment.
The City of Surrey set out to create a meaningful placemaking feature that would function as both public art and seating, encouraging community engagement within highly visible public spaces.
A key challenge was translating the artist’s organic, highly specific forms into a smooth, buildable structure while maintaining the integrity of the original design. At the same time, the installations needed to be fully exterior-grade, durable, and safe for continuous public use. Achieving a seamless sculptural finish required a fabrication approach that balanced precision, durability, and constructability.
MJY Fabrication was engaged by the City of Surrey and collaborated closely with both the City and the artist throughout the project.
The team explored multiple fabrication strategies to achieve the complex geometry. While bent materials were initially considered, the forms required a level of precision that could not be achieved through bending alone. The selected approach involved CNC cutting layered sections and stacking them to accurately build the sculptural forms.
To improve handling and long-term flexibility, each piece was designed as a hollow structure with a removable lid. This allowed for easier transport and installation, as well as the option to introduce internal ballast if required.
Durability was a key driver in the design refinement process. In collaboration with the artist, select edges were softened to reduce the risk of chipping over time without compromising the overall aesthetic. MJY also worked closely with the artist and the City to refine colour selections, ensuring alignment with both the creative vision and the public environment.
Each sculptural seating element measured approximately 4′ x 4′ with a height of 18″, designed to serve as both a functional bench and a visual focal point.
The structures were fabricated using MDO, a specialty exterior-grade plywood selected for its strength and stability in outdoor conditions. The geometry was achieved by CNC cutting individual layers, with precision alignment ensured through CNC-drilled dowel locations during assembly.
Each unit was constructed as a hollow form with a removable lid, secured using tamper-resistant fasteners to prevent unauthorized access while maintaining serviceability.
The finishing process involved extensive surface preparation, including shaping and smoothing to achieve the desired sculptural quality. This was followed by an industrial sprayed primer and a high-strength topcoat system designed to withstand weather exposure and heavy public interaction.
This project demonstrates MJY Fabrication’s ability to translate highly unique artistic concepts into fully realized, durable public installations, even with minimal initial direction.
It reinforces MJY’s capability to deliver complex, sculptural work that is both visually impactful and functional, while withstanding ongoing public interaction. The project also highlights the importance of close collaboration with artists and municipalities to successfully bring one-of-a-kind concepts into the public realm.
[Photography by Shahbaaz Malik @shahterspeed]
