Dutch designer Chris Kabel has created a circular bench made from one 10 metre-long wooden beam.
Kabel cut the long beam into trapezium-shaped pieces then fitted them back together to form a ring that retains the grain of the wood.
These pieces are held in place by a metal strap.
The bench is in use for an installation called Shared Space III in the communal space of the Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art and Tent in Rotterdam.
Here’s some more information from the designer:
What do you like most about the project?
That the bench really works. If you sit with three people or more in it, it automatically becomes a very intimate space where the outside world dissapears. You really feel embraced by the tree.
What was the original concept and how does it differ from the finished project?
For the Shared Space III I wanted to make a circular bench. I liked this shape because it creates two very different spaces. Facing outward of the circle you can be alone and anonymous. You can read a book or look at the passers by. But as soon as you step into the circle you become part of the atmosphere created by the people that are already in there. It’s a bit like sharing a bath in the sauna but then without the nakedness and the wetness… It also reminds me of my early school years where on mondays we would all sit with our little wooden chairs in a circle and talk about the things we did in the weekend.
nice idea. but why solid wood, even "from one 10 metre-long wooden beam", so wasteful n expensive. hard cold wood doesn't look comfortable.
ReplyDeleteTo be fair, it doesn't look like an expensive wood; check out all those knots! And I think of wood as a warm material, especially compared to metal and plastic.
ReplyDeleteWasteful? Probably; they could've used ply to make more seating surface for the same amount of wood. But this seems to be a more economical way to execute this particular idea.
Solid wood is much much more wasteful than plywood or particle board in terms of both material and economical cost, if it has to be wood that is. There're so many better ways to execute this design, for instance, a layer of fabric held by a thing structure that doesn't take away the legroom.
ReplyDeleteYeah, but you wouldn't get the effect. You can make a circular bench with more economical ways/methods/materials, but I can't think of any other option to make one that MUST be a "cut-up-rectangle-is-now-circular" style bench.
ReplyDeletewhat's the point of sticking with "cut-up-rectangle-is-now-circular"?
ReplyDeleteI like it !
ReplyDeleteIt's cool?...
ReplyDeleteFine, there's none. I can't even buy the semi-bullshit outward and inward argument. It's an elementary idea expertly executed with support from either an abundance of available resources or maybe just a stubborn designer with nothing better to do.
But it's just a cool object! I see it and I go "hmmMMmm" :)