Prototype: Beautiful Freaks - Oversized Legs

Consistant with the mainstream media's fascination with those labelled freaks (plastic surgery nightmares - michael jackson, lesley ash, easily identifiable villians - abu hamsa, and heroes - Jed, youtube "stars" (take your pick), oversized glamour models and porn stars, guiness book entries (see tallest, heaviest, longest appendage etc) etc etc etc)

this project takes the weakness of the object (where it has broken) and overcompensates for its deficiencies, or highlights its difference.

Supporters of Darwin would argue that without natural slection or without mutations evolution would not have occured. Social Darwinianists tried to turn this on its head and act as the forceful hand of god through implementing nature on natures behalf, exterminating the "weak" those who in different environments evoke the better sympathetic empathic altruistic tendancies from society.

Have we increasingly encouraged ourselves to be fascinated by difference. When difference distinguishes something we praise it and call it progress or unique, maybe we express disgust because of perceived grotesqueness or mutations, these can be translated into strengths or weaknesses.

The white chair broke at its weak point around the back support. I thought it would be interesting to start a process of replacing every breakage with an oversized component. This could elaborate into experiments with materials and structures to effect significant structural and visual strengths and weaknesses that can be manipulated to produce a range of prototypes further exploring these possibilities.

Prototype: Ghosted Chair

This frame holds an old wooden chair profile in a black square tubular steel office chair frame. The back rest upright going into the leg is a sructural strength that both structures share, the black frame could be seen as an evolution from wooden construction. A part of its evolution as an object, a member of a family tree, a piece that has evolved from constant improvements and alterations natural and intended interventions to form and processes, all are still present in its construction. Chairs as footprints of their owners, empty chairs as echos of people, traces of their previous incarnations. There are posibilites for more abstract interpretations also.

There is potential in experimenting with fabrics and upholstery, printing and illustrations.

This idea evolved from the Beautiful freaks prototypes using left over chair parts to try and emphasise a new aspect of the form, the back leg up into the backrest.

Study: Death dying and dead stuff

our persepective on death and the neccesity to explain what happens afterwards...the dead headless pigeon with just its wings and torso left in the gutter. When we see dead things we can tend think about our own mortality, seeing something with its head detached it makes me think of more than death. It makes me question the connection between the head and the heart. The moment of death must be the single most isolating moment in ones life.

Prototype: Kissing chair - warped up

I found the beginnings of this chair as two frames intertwined locked together inseparable without wrenching apart. Although it has resulted in looking like a kissing chair, it suggests two users with two back rests, that was not the intention. Although it would be appropriate to investigate its potential as a kissing chair. The positioning of the users would involve interlocking legs which would add to the visual clutter of the users/chairs legs.

Sketch: Benches

Benches are by type a solitary object. No other piece of street furniture seems to be to its intended use for such a small proportion of its time than many public benches. When in use the bench usually only serves one u ser at a time. Bins are by comparision in constant use, they are always holding litter or being emptied or being used. Street lights are used everynight.
The bench with a user claims the area immmediately within its location especially where the space is restricted. The user can expect to sit there without anyone else sitting within a unspoken boundary infringing in the users space. Challenges to this rule are either met with a response to perceived aggression or an open invitation to share the space.

Study: Urban Igloo!

Deep in Deptfords snowiest region an urban retreat from the hectic winter!

Prototype: circular seat

This first prototype is slightly too high but efficient use of 100% recycled wood. Old table and old ikea chair providing the perfect componants, unfortunately in the wrong composition, looks too much like a crows nest atop a mast!

sit inside fits 1 person extra comfy, 2 back to back, several sat around outside ring. Used by one person sat inside, pad up the uprights as back rests. Upholster ring to make circular bar stool. Drop the height by at least 300mm to make ring bar stool height.

Studies: Secluded garden seats

Study: Tree trunk carved chair

Study: Location - lake trunk seat

I like the poltential in this location. The felled tree trunk modified to accommodate a seat. The illusion of the seat sitting on the water.

Studies: In the city

people find their little piece solitude where they can collectively, packed in so tight, shut off to the rest of the world and experience a fraction of solitude.

Studies: Empty gypsy site chairs

Seperated and divided into categories, one section - shoe, another - chair.
The two solitary objects in this picture are linked by their association with the human form, and the two objects are equally strong in their explicit relation to us but together they are almost alien to each other. (A shoe next to a chair, a shoe on a chair leg, a shoe as a chair leg?) The shoe is always located on the floor, flat and at an opposing angle to the chair, never parrallel.

Studies: Empty gypsy site smashed chair

Apart from being a revealing location with objects that tell a story of a hostile existence what has been left behind emphasises an incomplete departure, either hurried or reluctant leaving behind physical echoes of the past. This smashed chair has the perfect composition that cannot be contrived, the assembly of fractured parts that hold the moment of its demise as it came into effect. You can almost hear the clanging of the gate and the departure of the last vehicle that crushed the chair on its way out.

Studies: DLR seats

Study: Barcelona single seats

Sketch model: wrapped up

If you want a seperation from the environment using a physical barrier to remove or reduce visual or audible distractions it can be done literally and poetically with the form and decoration. Plastic barrel seating, acrylic leg rest/paper guard, fabriano paper roll.