HAL Jasper Morrison, 2010/11
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It was the on-board computer HAL 9000 in Stanley Kubrick’s movie “2001: A Space Odyssey” (1968) that inspired Jasper Morrison to call his new all-purpose chair HAL.
“Hello! My name is HAL”, says the on-board computer in the spaceship Discovery. As an intelligent being, HAL is able to relate to people and can also understand their reasoning. British designer Jasper Morrison’s decision to name his chair after the supercomputer from this classic movie directed by Stanley Kubrick was clearly tongue-in-cheek. But just like its cinematic prototype, HAL can also be helpful. In contrast to the chair’s namesake in the movie, however, this HAL is always well-disposed towards humans. The versatile chair adapts to new situations and detects new needs as they arise in order to respond to them in advance. “Special is generally less useful than normal” is Jasper Morrison’s guiding principle for a design that is not extraordinary, but rather ‘supernormal’ in appearance and – just like HAL – shows deference to the laws that govern daily life. The chair’s shell offers the user freedom of movement, ensures a high level of comfort and supports the dynamics of sitting like a friendly helper.
Available with a dark or a light wooden base, with a seat shell in plywood or coloured plastic, with removable covers, as a cantilever chair with or without armrests, the HAL family is highly versatile. HAL feels just at home at bars and counters as it does at dining tables; as a stackable chair, HAL is perfect for cafeterias, the home and the office. HAL is a philanthropist with a mission: this intelligent all-purpose chair wants to make daily life more pleasant.
“Design should be more restrained.” Jasper Morrison
The curved seat shell of HAL Ply Wood is made of moulded plywood and the legs are made of solid oak.
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