“chairs!” to art
to create a piece of art for a Green Pavilion, the context of sustainability was at the forefront of our agenda. by nature and procurement, the timber provided to us by canadian wood is already certified as a green product. however, when we talk of sustainability, we must consider not just the carbon footprint, but also the entire life cycle use. the purpose of most art installations lies within their intent or ability to make people stop and think, and so beyond this inherent aesthetic value (which can be quite subjective!) most installations have little or no functional utility. This installation seeks to subvert this idea, by proposing art that may be dismantled and reassembled into usable pieces of furniture. to this end, we have designed a chair and a barstool that are modular in nature. the components of each are cut out of a single 8ft. length of 2”x6” timber with almost zero wastage of material. the choice of timber was in consultation with canadian wood and was informed by the design of each piece – western hemlock for the chair, and douglas fir for the taller barstool. the elements are arranged in an abstract twisting radial composition which throws up curious shadows when lit, and can be hung as wall art or turned on its side and used as a chandelier. the furniture is designed so that both pieces can be put together without any screws or nails, using only traditional timber joinery and glue. as and when the requirement for furniture comes up, the owner is encouraged to remove pieces from the wall installation and assemble them into chairs and barstools. in this way we create a piece of art that is:
- truly sustainable + recyclable
- interactive + playful
- evolutionary + dynamic
- useful
design team: pravir sethi, jaymin tanna