Superform; Anne Lefèvre
Superform showed off the work of first year students on the Royal College of Art’s Innovation Design Engineering (IDE) course in a five week module that test students from a diverse range of backgrounds in designing and building a chair that is capable of being tested in a way that proves its innovation.
Some students used found or appropriated materials, such as Anne Lefèvre’s chair strung with revolving wooden balls reminiscent of an abacus, while others created strong silhouettes in wood, such as Oliver Poyntz’s baby high chair, Dominik Donocik’s wooden trianglar segments held by metal hinges and Yan Lu’s seat in which boomerang-shaped pieces of wood are strung along a central core – forming the back of the seat in the centre and then turning to become the legs.
Oliver Poyntz; Dominik Donocik; Yan Lu
Set by IDE senior tutor Ashley Hall, Superform is explained thus. ‘Great chairs always do something extra. It’s not just about the art, engineering, ergonomics and function but about the innovative possibilities offered when designing one of the most competitive and high profile products. The chair has achieved iconic status in the portfolios of designers through its unique qualities of supporting the human form while providing a testing ground for new manufacturing processes, structures, aesthetics and experiments. The world is full of chairs and yet every year we continue to see new forms and functions. It’s this close relationship to our changing lives that continues to drive the possibilities for new innovations in how we sit.’
Egan Koo; Sae Ra Kang; Marjan Angoshtari
Egan Koo commanded branches to create a throne fit for a fairytale queen, while Sae Ra Kang formed a 60s-style cocoon shape in white tufted wool. A low-level circular latticework of silver metal becomes a light and unobtrusive object in the hands of Marjan Angoshtari.
Yellow Pages;Alexander Bone;Alicia Tam
Other natural materials taken up by the students include a chair made from a series of Yellow Pages directories, a mini-monolithic bread stool by Alexander Bone and a plaited and twisted rope stool that can be lifted up and reshaped from Alicia Tam.
