INDN 342: A Return To Older Forms

After experimenting with the flowing metal ribbon leg idea, I decided to move away from it back to some of the aspects of one of my original designs. One of the reasons was that the flowing metal leg would have made the stool extremely heavy. I calculated that each stool would have weighed roughly a back-straining 23kg. That's way too heavy for a stool that would only be about 450mm high and 350mm along one of the rhombus' sides.

Another rationale for the form change was in order to give the stools the character that I spoke of previously. Somehow having the flowing metal "leg" meant that the character of the stool was kind of lost. The herding nature of the stools was still kind of inherent, but it definitely didn't feel as obvious. The little slot in the metal actually makes the stools feel more animal-like, especially when we consider the way in which certain herd animals interact with each other.

The way elephants hold each other's tails when they're on the move, and the way in which water buffalo congregate in close groups, both examples of the interaction that I'm trying to capture in this piece of furniture. When the furniture is finished (I want to make 3 stools), each stool will be able to connect to another stool in three different ways. Each stool will be identical in form, yet designed in a way to allow multiple modes of connection with copies of itself.

The uses of the stools are designed to be multi-faceted, both in terms of implied uses through the way the stools are aligned, but also in their inherent form. Their use could easily be as side tables individually, as well as a long bench when placed consecutively, or alternatively they could see use as a collected coffee table that could be split apart to provide multiple seating or small table options. There are many configurations possible.