SIDE [Sutton Initiative for Design Education]

The Sutton Initiative for Design Education is a library of 40 iconic chairs, donated to Salem College by Charles Sutton and family. Each chair is unique in its design, use of materials and technology, and creativity.  I am forever grateful to Carol Strohecker , Director of the Center for Design Innovation for introducing me to the SIDE library and Brian Peck for conducting the tour and sharing his immense knowledge of the chairs.  As an intern with CDI  I'm exploring cutting edge technology [software and 3D printers] and will soon integrate both in the design process of my very own chair.


"Gauging the growth of technology in history and design can be realized through the complexity of the CHAIR. " Cassandra Brunson 

studio 65 

Marilyn, 1970

Grand Confort

Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret & Charlotte Perriand

1928

The Hill House

Charles Rennie Mackintosh, 1903

Wassily

Marcel Breuer, 1925-27

Arm Chair

Gerald Summers, 1933-34

Bibendum 

Eileen Gray, 1917-21

Barcelona

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, 1929

Egg

Arne Jacobsen, 1957-58

Womb Chair

Eero Saarinen, 1947-48

Barrel 

Frank Lloyd Wright, 1937

Cherner

Paul Goldman, 1957

Wiggle

Frank O. Gehry, 1972

laminated cardboard

Model No.670 & 671 [lounge chair & ottoman]

Charles and Ray Eames, 1956

Klismos 

Jean-Jacques Lequeu, 1786

Zig-Zag Chair

Gerrit Rietveld, 1932-34

Masters 

Phillippe Starck, 2009

With lively sinuous lines, the Masters chair combines the outlines of three of the most famous chairs in modern design. Arne Jacobsen’s Series 7 Chair, Eero Saarinen’s Tulip Armchair, and Charles Eames’ Eiffel Chair.

Shape and Form

I will be designing a chair the duration of my internship at CDI [Center for Design Innovation].  As I began to explore shape and form, many questions circulate my brain waves. Having researched a number of chairs and artists, my brain waves have an oversized ball of clustered confusion!  To un-clutter I thought it'd be appropriate to answer some primary questions regarding the functionality, aesthetics, and the responsibility of the piece!  

However, equally important is the need to understand the DIALOGUE between the CHAIR and the SITTER!  I believe the only formula to a successful dialogue is by means of the five senses [sight, touch, taste, hearing, smell] and consequently the response to each. Initially the sitter is the active component when the desire to sit embarks the body, an immediate opportunity for connection through one or more of the senses materializes.  Then a response, a dialogue burgeon forth between the two!  How the sitter responds to the chair and how the chair responds to the sitter. Traditionally the SITTER ignites the dialogue acting as the active component as he/she emits the five senses and decide to sit or not. Suppose the roles reversed. A chair that evokes the sitter after just a glance, accelerates the tunes of a familiar song, hints to a particular taste and smell of nature, and once touched is unforgettable.

In my quest to unveiling a shape and form for my design....I began with the images below and video of The Kinetic Sculpture, found at the BMW museum.   I will also study the works of Alexander Calder, a contemporary artist who is thought of as pioneering kinetic art in the form of motorized and non-motorized mobiles. 

"The Kinetic Sculpture is a metaphorical translation of the process of form-finding in art and design.

714 metal spheres, hanging from thin steel wires attached to individually-controlled stepper motors and covering the area of six square meters, animate a seven minute long mechatronic narrative. In the beginning, moving chaotically, then evolving to several competing forms that eventually resolve to the finished object, the kinetic sculpture creates an artistic visualisation of the process of form-finding in different variations."

article and photos credit:  www.artcom.com

autodesk [Maya]

I've begun my exploration of shapes and forms through 3D software, Autodesk® Maya® . Maya is traditionally a 3D animation software however it has a comprehensive creative feature set with tools for animation, modeling, simulation, rendering, matchmoving, and compositing on a highly extensible production platform.  As I explore shapes and forms I will also begin to develop a working concept.