Biomorphically-derived chair
Designed by Sean Ahlquist, Body Index is intended to capture multiple body positions within a single form. The design utilizes software technology that generates physical fabric simulations defined by a geometrical surface and assigned certain cloth characteristics such as stiffness, stretching, and weight.
Different forces, actions, and collisions act upon the geometry. The initial state of the geometry is affected by gravity as well as the direct control over one edge of the surface to activate a waving motion. The surface then engages a human figure as it moves through different body positions, and the software generates the reactions to the dynamic forces. The surface is captured at a certain moment within the animated process and fixed for use in fabricating the built piece.
The digital geometry is used in creating laser-cut profiles of the core of the chair surface. These profiles are cut in varying thicknesses of plywood, dependent on the complexity of the curvature of the surface. The core is clad in strips of leather, and the base profile is laser cut and rolled, according to the data retrieved from the digital model.
Contact: Proces2, San Francisco, CA, USA.
For more information, see Transmaterial: A Catalog of Materials That Redefine our Physical Environment
