History of bench as art

/Prologue This a book for the “History of Bench” Assignment of Furniture Design elective subject at PolyU. In looking at Tokujin Yoshioka’s Water Block bench series, this book discusses a genre of bench design that uses this kind of furniture as an artistic medium, that is, “Bench as Art”.

As required, this book will talk about the Water Block from 3 perspectives: Historical; Form Factor; Technology; and in 4 levels: Social; Pleasurable experience; Usability; Functionality.

To keep the content of the book holistic and at the same time covering all these perspective, the content in each page would use the below info-graphic to communicate whichever area the content is talking about .

HISTORY

FORM

SOCIAL PLEASURE USABILITY FUNCTIONALITY

History of Bench

Cindy Chan Ho Yee

15011303D

2017 Fall

Page 1

TECHNOLOGY

/The Origin of “Furniture” Perhaps by looking at the origin of the word “furniture”, one can get a clue on the concept of this product genre which bench design belongs to.

late Middle English (in the general sense ‘provide or equip with what is necessary or desirable’)

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FURNITURE: Object to provide or equip with what is NECESSARY or desirable HISTORY SOCIAL PLEASURE USABILITY

History of Bench

Cindy Chan Ho Yee

15011303D

2017 Fall

Page 2

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/What can necessity be?

In different environment and even context, there will be different necessities, as such different criteria to define ‘good’ furniture.

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Necessity of sitting in different environment’ (change on tasks) :

Domestic: Comfort Durability Style matching with interior Fexibility

Work: Ergonomic Productivity Cost -effectiveness Task fitting

Leisure: Pleasure Fun Inspiration Innovation

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Desirability in different era (change in techology & material abundance):

Anicent: Craft and ornaments Religious use Social Hieracy

Modern: Universality Mass Productivity Standardization

Necessities (definition of good furnture) change; Bench as Art lies on a contemporary context where life quality is averagely high and comfort of chair can be easily achieved, technology of production is abundant cheaply. As such people seek higher order intellectual value in bench design.

HISTORY SOCIAL PLEASURE USABILITY

History of Bench

Cindy Chan Ho Yee

15011303D

Contemporary: Interllectual Provoking individual lifestyle philosophy

2017 Fall

Page 3

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/Bench as Art: a Historical View: As necessity evolves over time, bench as art evolves with the historial context:

Past:

Past:

Modern:

Contemporary:

Ornamental

Memorial

Revolutional

Ideological

HISTORY SOCIAL PLEASURE USABILITY

History of Bench

Cindy Chan Ho Yee

15011303D

2017 Fall

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/Bench as Art: a Benchmarking: Just as Art making, there are different means to design bench as art, which as roughly characterized as below:

Balloon Bench by h220430 This is bench was visually inspired by the feeling of floating that the main character felt in the French movie, “Le Ballon Rouge”(1953).

The Thread Wrapping Machine

by Anton Alvarez It is a tool to join different types of material with only a glue-coated thread to bind the objects

Come a bit closer bench

by Droog The seats sliding across the marbles mean it’s hard not to have fun and the experience unites you with your neighbour.

Art in Narrative:

Art in Process:

Art in Interaction:

visual statement story telling

special story of material story in the making of the bench

story telling in play experience and discover

HISTORY SOCIAL PLEASURE USABILITY

History of Bench

Cindy Chan Ho Yee

15011303D

2017 Fall

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/Water Block: the Statement

“Coincidence beauty created at the moment the glass of the bench solidifies, the waterblock is like a sculpture of a mass of water. With sublime aura the transparent bench gathers and refract light to create beautiful ripples that sparkle.”

-translation from Tokujin Yoshioka’s official site HISTORY SOCIAL PLEASURE USABILITY

History of Bench

Cindy Chan Ho Yee

15011303D

2017 Fall

Page 6

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/Tokujin Yoshioka: About

A renowned japanese designer, Yoshioka often create design that interplay with light effect and transparency. By manipulating light through his colourless ( transparent) and even attempting “formless” design like the water block, his design explores the poetic relationship on the power of nature and creation of human being.

HISTORY SOCIAL PLEASURE USABILITY

History of Bench

Cindy Chan Ho Yee

15011303D

2017 Fall

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/Water Block: a History

First created in 2012, Japan

Installed in the Impressionist Gallery at MusÊe d’Orsay , Paris

Used in Kon-an Tea House at Shoren-in temple, Kyoto

With different version later, from Golden plated one to the extended length one, which is the largest glass block in world record.

Placed along side with the master painting of impressionism by Renoir to Monet, the bench create interesting dialogue between design that plays with light and paintings inspired by light.

Yoshioka examine how the quiet appreciation for aesthetics and beauty in Tea ceremony can be accommodated by this contemporary take of glass tea house.

The water Block act as the major structural elements which it became benches around the tea house as well as the flooring and paddle to step in the tea house.

HISTORY SOCIAL PLEASURE USABILITY

History of Bench

Cindy Chan Ho Yee

15011303D

2017 Fall

Page 8

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/Water Block: Form Factor Sitting Object: Length and height of the Bench communicated it is an platform intended for sitting

HISTORY SOCIAL PLEASURE USABILITY

History of Bench

Cindy Chan Ho Yee

15011303D

2017 Fall

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/Water Block: Form Factor: Coolness: Sitting on the bench feeling the cool glass as if sitting on a flowing river

HISTORY SOCIAL PLEASURE USABILITY

History of Bench

Cindy Chan Ho Yee

15011303D

2017 Fall

Page 10

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/Water Block: Form Factor Floating Water Mass: mirror surface leg create illusion as if the leg does not exist and the water block is floating in air

HISTORY SOCIAL PLEASURE USABILITY

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Cindy Chan Ho Yee

15011303D

2017 Fall

Page 11

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/Water Block: Form Factor Refraction: Mimics the distorted light effect of water, as if the flow of water is frozen in time, create the wow moment on looking at the bench.

HISTORY SOCIAL PLEASURE USABILITY

History of Bench

Cindy Chan Ho Yee

15011303D

2017 Fall

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/Water Block: Technology Crystal Clear Glass: The clear and highly refractive glass is made by advanced Glass craft by japanese industry that they have high percentage of lead in the formula, thus creating glass that is almost as refractive as crystal.

HISTORY SOCIAL PLEASURE USABILITY

History of Bench

Cindy Chan Ho Yee

15011303D

2017 Fall

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/In Light of Water Block

Aesthetic:

Value:

World View:

pure joy in appreciating nature

“Formless” design that focus on the relationship between the material and the message Transparent - a colourless colour with all colours

the relationship between mankind’s creations and nature

ever changing optics effect

Human does not create beauty but act as a perspective to discover and praise beauty of nature HISTORY SOCIAL PLEASURE USABILITY

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Cindy Chan Ho Yee

15011303D

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/In Light of Water Block

Introvert: Design to reach Inner maturity Prasing relationship of man and nature through design Design that find philsophical comfort for our soul and heart

Extrovert: Design for all to afford Universal Design Design that follows social advancement

HISTORY SOCIAL PLEASURE USABILITY

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Cindy Chan Ho Yee

15011303D

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/In Light of Water Block

Poetic: Wabi-sabi Beauty in controllable uncertainty Wit in praise of ever changing nature

Romantic: Romantism Sublime Beauty Astonishment in fear of power

HISTORY SOCIAL PLEASURE USABILITY

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Cindy Chan Ho Yee

15011303D

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/In Light of Water Block

Folding chair abundant in Hong Kong

Bench by Charles and Ray

Water Block in front of Édouard Manet -Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe

Evolution:

Revolution:

Juxtaposition:

build upon add value

turn down to discurptive value

alongside with whimsical wit

HISTORY SOCIAL PLEASURE USABILITY

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Cindy Chan Ho Yee

15011303D

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/In Light of Water Block Furniture Design

Why Bench?

Alongside with Chair, Benches have been one of the most frequent medium for designer to bridge their profession to the artistic domain. Below are some hypothesis on the reason:

Ease: Easy to fulfill Function

Simplicity: Roomful of possibilities on materials, process

The contemporary necessity of mankind may be finding a mentality to co-exist with the complexity we live in and seeking of inner maturity on interpreting this highly complicated, data overloaded life.

As the first-world is enjoying an overly materialistic life‌ how might design, especially everyday designbench, that people interact with often, bring back this thoughtfulness to allow mankind to be rich in spirituality as well?

Interactiveness: Engaing with human interaction

Soically engagement: Engaing with multiple users

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History of Bench

Cindy Chan Ho Yee

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