Tribute to a Chair

This semester has flown by so fast.  One thing I have found myself fascinated by is the chair. This timeless masterpiece has taken so many shapes and forms, and been built in every material rigid enough support its own weight.  The craftsman we studied in ‘Makers’ held a delicate sensitivity to craft, from the turning of legs and attachment of pieces, to the placement of tacks and screws.

I took this idea and decided to attempt to make my own chair. I was more engaged with trying to practice this good craft in the making of my own chair. Function was not a priority at first. But then after the first one I made crumbled beneath me I had to alter my design.  After I began my second attempt I became more engaged with the raw form of a chair that is the base of its function. The “skeleton” if you will.

I made the wooden skeleton out of stained oak. I took great care to make the connections seamless using pin and keyhole connections and four screws.  I have now clue how to upholster or weave so I chose to leave the chair seat less.   As I mentioned before, I became enthralled with this form.  After the wood form I decided to make a skin of shell that had been shed. I view it as if I was creating a sustainable memory. Sustainable in material: plastic. Plastic takes decades to decompose naturally. I made two plastic forms based off my original wooden frame, one made of plastic wrap the other made of plastic urethane resin. One represents the shell or shedding of old skin, a symbol of a new start.  The other is more representational of the form., but the form itself cannot support any weight.  Theses three elements all manifested into my piece this semester. A tribute to chair, a most forgettable aspect of our daily lives yet is one most commonly used.