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...
Oct 30, 2012
Concrete and Wood
The Concrete and Wood End Chair by Ethan Hutchinson is a great study in contrasts.
You can't tell from my trademarked silhouette view, but this piece features a contoured concrete seat set into a fine wooden frame (see designer's page link below for photos). It makes the viewer question what they are seeing and think about the materials that make up the piece. Watching someone sit on one must be interesting, because it challenges us to question our preconceptions about concrete as a somewhat hostile material for personal contact.
We usually think of soft, padded elements for seats, like cushions, fabrics or foam. But a well-designed rigid chair seat and back can create a more comfortable sitting experience than a poorly-designed stuffed chair. I can't say for certain if that's true in this case, as I haven't sat on this chair, but the attention to detail, and the lines of the piece suggest to me that some thought has gone into creating comfort. Based on the shape and contours captured in the rigid materials I would think it quite inviting, in spite of any preconceptions about bum-on-concrete comfort.
Get a better, 'non-silhouette' version from the designer's page for the chair, where you can even buy one if you've got some spare cash.
We usually think of soft, padded elements for seats, like cushions, fabrics or foam. But a well-designed rigid chair seat and back can create a more comfortable sitting experience than a poorly-designed stuffed chair. I can't say for certain if that's true in this case, as I haven't sat on this chair, but the attention to detail, and the lines of the piece suggest to me that some thought has gone into creating comfort. Based on the shape and contours captured in the rigid materials I would think it quite inviting, in spite of any preconceptions about bum-on-concrete comfort.
Get a better, 'non-silhouette' version from the designer's page for the chair, where you can even buy one if you've got some spare cash.
