Chair Avatars
This is a display area for my spare chairs - my various Twitter avatars.
Why Chairs?
Chairs symbolize social interaction. They invite you to sit down and stay a while; take a load off. You're probably sitting right now. We sit down to digest news. We sit to think. We sit to be social. You might say chairs are the first social media. Okay, you wouldn't but let's pretend.
Some beautiful chairs are painful to sit on (talkin' to you Frank Lloyd Wright, and owners of Indian restaurants everywhere). Many comfy chairs can look quite ugly. Chairs can fit with all situations - from thrones to bean-bags. Lawn chairs say "relax, enjoy the weather." Kitchen chairs say "have a bite." Dentists' chairs say "sit down and scream a while."
As an early user of Twitter in '07, I began to explore a dynamic avatar idea – it was always easy to identify my feed based on the avatar's subject matter, but the actual image changed often. If you followed me and my meanderings, I hope you found the conversation fun and/or thoughtful. Pull up a chair.
The avatar history is captured below...
Jun 10, 2012
Beach Chair by Vico Magistretti seems like a nice change for a hot summer day. It's a timeless design that has been around since the 19th century and is still common today. Modern materials add durability to some elements or reduce the cost down to make various affordable models found in most hardware/outfitters stores. 
Magistretti was originally involved in urban design following his graduation from design school in Milan in 1945, then turned his attention to furniture where he helped define the sleek lines associated with modern Italian furniture. See his foundation (in Italian) here. Here's a nice set of photos of more of his work. I like his armchairs!
There is also a nice pictorial history of folding chairs to be seen at this DesignBoom link. It's a bit thin on data and references, but the pics are fun.
Magistretti was originally involved in urban design following his graduation from design school in Milan in 1945, then turned his attention to furniture where he helped define the sleek lines associated with modern Italian furniture. See his foundation (in Italian) here. Here's a nice set of photos of more of his work. I like his armchairs! There is also a nice pictorial history of folding chairs to be seen at this DesignBoom link. It's a bit thin on data and references, but the pics are fun.
