Kayne Horsham is a New Zealand artist who invented a revolutionary architectural mesh called Kaynemaile. In 2007 Horsham patented an award-winning technology that creates interlocked seamless mesh rings without any joins or gaps. These are produced on an industrial scale to any dimensions and used to protect exterior structures as well as to create interior space divisions. Horsham began experimenting with the mesh while working as an Artistic Director of Creatures, Armor and Weapons at Weta Workshop. He worked closely with Peter Jackson for four years, fabricating the costumes of the Academy Award-winning The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Horsham believes that a problem is simply a challenge looking for a solution, and in the case of The Lord of the Rings, he recreated a lighter yet identical version of the chainmail armor which was worn by the actors.

The versatility of the product inspired Horsham to use the material onto architectural structures. Since the conclusion of the films, Kaynemaile has specialized in facades for existing and new buildings. The material has been used in high-profile architectural and industrial design projects around the world as exterior building “wraps”. In 2012 Horsham collaborated with environmental artist and sculptor Ned Kahn on the design of the Welcome Tower for the Runway at Playa Vista. The intent was to merge art and architecture so that there was no dividing line between the two. Horsham and Kahn covered the building with Kaynemaile which allowed the wind channel to pass through and billow gracefully in the wind.

Horsham believes that art is intangible and that design is transitional. It’s in the craft where skills and practicality wrestle the intangibles and transitional into an achievable solidified state. The company’s latest project #WaveNewYork is a temporary exhibition at Times Square where Kaynemaile will be showcasing how the product humanizes and brings freedom and joy to hard urban environments and interior spaces.

Kayne lives in Wellington, New Zealand, where the Petone-based headquarters, design studio and fabrication plant are located.