Graduate Review Spring 2020 – Jerry Lockaby

MFA GRAPHIC DESIGN

04.17.2020

13:00 HR

ZOOM

SPRING 2020

GRADUATE REVIEW JERRY LOCKABY

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STATE​ MENT

AUGMENTING CHAIR DESIGN WITH VIRTUAL SPACES While contemporary design combines form and function to

create a more accessible experience for the everyday consumer,1

the designer must find novel approaches in order to answer the

most basic questions. Necessities, such as food or sleep, present an opportunity for an artist searching for provocative solutions

that meet those needs. The desire to provoke is inherent in the

very nature of art; however, creating new work that challenges the

consumer often requires gazing into the past—learning from great artists who came before us in an effort to peer into the future.

The chair has been around at least as far back as the ancient

Egyptians (c. 1567 – 1320 bce)2 but did not come into common use until the 16th century. The history of modern and contemporary

art can be traced along the virtual timeline of chair design. Frank

Lloyd Wright, Frank Gehry, Mies van der Rohe, Marcel Breuer

and Charles Rennie Mackintosh are just a few of the artists who are also known for designing chairs (and other furniture).

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“The chairs Wright designed for the Hollyhock House (California 1917 – 1921) … promoted Arts and Crafts values and the architect’s own love of nature. The high‑backed design is reminiscent of the earlier Hill House chair design of Scottish architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh.”3 I, too, turned to Rennie Mackintosh as I undertook the challenge of exploring chair design and the use of historically significant

pieces by contemporary artists in work such as photography and

videos produced for pop music performers. Beginning with a

distillation and synthesis of Rennie Mackintosh’s Argyle chair

incorporating modern design elements, I challenged myself

to create chairs and chaises that depart from tradition while

reflecting the inherent nature of organic shapes and basic forms.

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“Despite the control and coordination demanded by his design sensibility, Mackintosh believed that a modem and individual approach to design could be reconciled with industrial production. While craftsmanship does not appear to have been his priority (that is, design and production were more separate), Mackintosh believed that the decorative arts contributed to the quality of life, not just for the discerning few, but in competition with historicism and traditional associations between luxury and decorative richness.�4 Through a course in digital fabrication, I learned how to design

and produce three-dimensional models. My goal was to acquire

new skills with available technologies, such as the large format

CNC router, CNC mill for metals, and 3D printers for both resin and ceramic printing. This effort to realize and build a

variety of chairs made of different types of materials was delayed by the closure of the university, including its fabrication lab.

I then explored a number of solutions to exhibit my

work in a virtual environment and discovered several

tools for publishing and interacting with 3D content.

I am currently focused on creating environmental scenes and content that can be transitioned into

augmented reality. While my goal remains to produce

my designs with the available university fabrication

tools, I also excited to continue my exploration into the digital world of 3D and AR content creation.

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The opportunity to delve into augmented reality has presented me with a new way to reach an audience. My experience in

website design and digital advertising makes 3D and AR a

natural progression. Experimenting with the idea of making

chairs, creating 3D renders and placing them into virtual space,

I’ve also created augmented reality assets that allow you to

I began by examining the traditional shapes and lines used for

building chairs. I then experimented with form and structure,

which led me to design a more organic chair and a chaise with a

kinetic, polished surface which will be made out of aluminum or other lightweight metal. I am now in the process of making AR

assets, which I plan to use to create interactive art. My preliminary

renders can be viewed on my website, jerrylockaby.com/furniture,

which I will update as I develop assets for use in augmented reality.

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END​ NOTES

1 Frazier, Jessica. (2012, August 31). A brief history of the chair in design. https://denverartmuseum.org/ article/staff-blogs/brief-history-chair-design.

2 Butler, Joseph T. Lassen, Erik. Wormley, Edward J. Furniture: history. https://www.britannica.com/technology/furniture 3 Craven, Jackie. (2019, July 3). Chairs by famous architects—architecture you can sit on. https://www. thoughtco.com/chairs-by-famous-architects-177773 4 Raizman, David. (2013). History of Modern Design. Laurence King Publishing.

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MID: 225-LOCKABY

JERRYLOCKABY.COM/FURNITURE

SECOND SEMESTER