Experimental Chair: Ruminating Montreal
Post-Graduate Project - Urban Design Research
keep your back straight, just follow the map.
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there is no proper etiquette.
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there is no proper representation of the city.
the map must be false.
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a picnic is informal. it negates proper etiquette.
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an investigation in bodily postures, this project is centered around the informality integral to the picnic event. different elements of the surroundings become props for this event.
a sidewalk, stairs, railings, patches of grass, a rock, benches, tables, chairs.
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downtown montreal is mapped out and enflamed by the different postures assumed throughout the city. a camera was attached to my chest, shoulder, and knee; literally framing the surroundings according to the major parts of the body constituting the variety of postures. two chairs were constructed to allow for the framing of the city through one's own posture, and that of his/her partner during the picnic.
the basic mechanism of the chair allows for the exploration of different postures. it attempts to emulate the ones we are familiar with, and allows for a multiplicity of appropriations the user may explore.
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entitled 'ruminating montreal' this project was aimed at developing a tactile understanding of the city as opposed to the commonplace visual understanding. the city of montreal is interpreted through the ephemeral event of a picnic and the objects related to it. rather than a map, which serves as an abstract representation of the city, this project attempts to address our immediate experiences of the public spaces of the city.
program: object for a 'picnic'
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location: montreal, qc, canada
duration: 30 days (research)
45 days (fabrication)
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professor: jason crow
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year: 2011
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status: finished



