THE RED CHAIR

Design As Narrative

FURNITURE IS DESIGN. FURNITURE IS ART.

WHAT IF FURNITURE WAS A LITERARY WORK?

THE BOOK CONTAINING THE STORY, WOULD BE THE MANIFESTATION OF DESIGN LANGUAGE. THE FORM.

PUSHING THIS ANALOGY FURTHER WOULD BE THE LITERARY ELEMENTS.

THE MATERIALS THE TEXTURES THE FINISHES

THE WORDS THE SENTENCES

THE PLOT DEVICES

THAT DRAW THE READER INTO THE NARRATIVE

The intention of The Red Chair is to tell a story through the medium of furniture. The work will draw on the research from several areas of study including:

• Physiological and psychological reactions to colors, materials, and textures.

• The relationship between people and objects

Emotional design

Shape, color, and texture, have always been a concern of both the designer and the artist. Visceral design deals in extremes, soft vs sharp, bright vs dark, smooth vs rough. These characteristics are powerful tools that can be used by the creator to capture the attention of the viewer on a primal pre-conscious level and trigger an immediate emotional impact. People experience an object first through their senses, what they see, what they feel, these initial subconscious interactions and the emotions they elicit are the catalysts for desire. Without first establishing subconscious desire, people never get to conscious reflection-- the point where they apply their experience, culture, and knowledge to make a lasting emotional connection to the object (Norman). Whether this use of visceral design is applied to sell a product or to tell a story the same principals are at work.

This collection uses forms and finishes that speak in a design language based on this visceral phenomena with the intention of drawing the viewer into the narrative as well as elevating the work’s market potential.

The Red Chair delivers a narrative through a cohesive collection that communicates my experience in event production, art, and design. An expressive story of growth, told through the visceral use of craftsmanship, form language, and materials, that culminates in a market ready design.

I had a desire. A feeling that I must. I would lay awake at night staring at the patterned acanthus leaves the intricate rosettes scrolled across the copper tiled ceiling of my room deep in thought.

I found myself with a need to use my hands a desire to spend my time focused on bringing something tangible into the world.

In those early hours I would get lost in memories my childhood the warmth of the Florida sun on my face the smell of salt water and suntan lotion the sweet taste of citrus pulled from the orange tree in my grandmother’s backyard.

But also there in the dimly lit floral patterns of the ceiling tiles was something else a memory more sinister.

I had a story that I needed to tell. A tale of how the present grows from the darkest soil of the past.

As is the nature of memories, it is often the unpleasant ones that take root.

It’s ironic that I’ve become a furniture designer, because one of my darkest memories is of a chair…

The Red Chair.