Blue Chair
(2007 – 2009)
Inflatable chair, air pump, pressure sensor,
pressure gauge, bluetooth, arduino.
A two part interactive installation, comprising of a inflatable chair lying dormant in the middle of a room, a mass of plastic lacking in form or shape. The chair is connected to an ordinary public seat within the same building, both arranged identically. The occupancy of the standard chair directly dictates the level of inflation of the inflatable chair. If the public seat is occupied, the adjoining inflatable chair will begin to expand until fully inflated, if a person vacates that chair the mirrored inflatable chair will then deflate to its passive state. The interplay and qualities of the work are of a schematic system, where people are creating or at least informing the work. The nature of the installation means that the person interacting with the artwork may never be fully aware of their involvement in the creation of the piece.
Public participation is integral in the artwork, which can only be realised through the engagement of the viewer and a 2nd party (interactor). The essence behind the installation is on an interaction with everyday items and an association between objects of a similar functionality. It prays upon our desire to place meaning and uncover an understanding of what enables a kinetic artwork to function.
The examples on this page show the two chairs situated within the same space.
Blue Chair was developed into a commission for 2nd birthday event in Bournemouth. However due to funding reasons the project had to be shelved. Chair=Chair was to be a site-specific installation within an old car show room. The project pushed the original concept further by using 6 inflatable chairs aligned with 6 public seats within the gallery. The positioning of all the 12 chairs was to be dependant on the layout of the space and would be conscious of the buildings history and functionality. In the installation a table would also accompany the six public chairs resembling the layout similar to that of a doctor waiting room. Decorated with leaflets and information about the event, whist the audience members have a break or wait for someone they take a seat, triggering the mechanisms that brings the installation to life.
The installation split into 2 parts in 2 separate rooms of the building, focused on reconnecting the independent spaces and returning a level of functionality back to the building. Transforming a series of derelict rooms (with no dependency on each other) into a unified unit. This was representational of some of the core elements of 2nd Birthday, which aimed to breath creative life back into the derelict spaces of Bournemouth.
A video of the original experimentation’s with blue chair in May 2007.