Have a seat.

Lately, I've been reading through books on chairs. I love interior design and I wanted to understand the functions behind furniture. By taking advantage of the tools and machines in my sculpture class, I am currently working on a series of chairs.

At this point, I have created two chairs out of stainless steel fencing and unfinished common rebar. I've been investigating what justifies something as a chair. It could be a standard piece with a seat, back, arms and four legs. A chair could be anything from a desk chair to a tree stump. I make a ton of drawings in my sketchbook, with measurements and basic ideas from my head.

Next, I look at the material and play with its characteristics. Since rebar and steel appear rough, it gives the chairs a construction site feel. When you look and sit in the chairs, you wonder if it will offer enough support. So far, I have received great feedback from classmates who have seen me weld, bend, grind, slice and melt steel. I chose steel because it is a medium I have never worked with. I hope with time that I can move onto other materials like plastic and wood.

















I also purchased three books on the subject through Amazon.com including:

• Chairs: A History (Hardcover) by Florence de Dampierre (Author)
• 1000 Chairs (Taschen 25) (Paperback) by Charlotte Fiell (Author), Peter Fiell (Author)
• New Chairs: Innovations in Design, Technology, and Materials (Paperback) by Mel Byars (Author)

These books are spectacular because of the vivid images of each chair design as well as information about the artistic process. I'm hoping to display a chair in an upcoming gallery show the week after spring break, which is March 19th-23rd. More details will be coming soon but everyone should try and see what the AVT Honors students have been working on!