Chairs and visual connections

click photo to enlarge

As a child I used to see faces in the front of motor vehicles. The headlights were eyes, the radiator grilles were mouths and the often prominent maker's badge represented the nose. Sometimes the wing mirrors managed to suggest ears. I have the feeling that the car designs of the 1950s and 1960s prompted my imaginings in a way that the designs of today wouldn't. Or perhaps, underneath all this, is the primitive ability and necessity of quickly recognising faces because your life may depend on it. Maybe that's something that is stronger in childhood, but declines as you age. What I do know is that these sort of visual connections work at an unconscious level and come upon you when you least expect it.

The other day we passed an old watermill that also houses a cafe. Outside were tables and chairs for the use of customers who fancied their coffee and cake en plein air. Rather optimistic, I thought, given the fact that rain and unseasonally low temperatures have been an almost daily feature of recent weeks. Most of the chairs and tables were the sort of thing one can see anywhere. But the examples shown in today's photograph attracted my attention because they seemed to be the outdoor equivalent of a bar table and stools. The elongated legs of the trio made them look different and slightly odd. They also prompted one of those unconscious visual connections. As soon as I saw them I thought of Salvador Dali's elephants in "The Temptation of St Anthony"! I think it's the fact that if you cut the legs down to size they would be like any other table and chairs, just as Dali's surreal elephants would become much more "normal" with regular legs.

I took the photograph because tables and chairs often provide visual interest in the form of strong, interesting outlines and, if the sun shines, shadows that reveal more about their structure. The backdrop of old bricks, steps and railings seemed to add to the image too.

photograph and text (c) T. Boughen

Camera: Canon
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 65mm
F No: f7.1
Shutter Speed: 1/400
ISO: 100
Exposure Compensation:  -0.33 EV
Image Stabilisation: On

The corrugated chair

click photo to enlarge

I remember reading, many years ago, about two people who made a very big origami boat out of waxed paper. They placed it on a river, got in, and sailed a good few miles before it succumbed to the effects of the water and collapsed. It was a bit of fun with no real point other than finding out if such a feat was possible. But that didn't stop someone trying it again in Germany last year.

Is a corrugated cardboard chair made for similar reasons? I saw one the other day. It looked marvellous, all curves, layers, and contour-like textures that positively invited you to walk around it, examining the shape from every angle. However, even if sitting on it wasn't forbidden because it was on display, I doubt if I'd have parked my posterior on it because it didn't look particularly inviting. Chairs have long been the focus of experimentation in terms of materials and shape, and fine artists have often tried their hand at designing them, frequently producing visual interest but rarely combining it with comfort. Gerrit Rietveld (1888-1964) produced a striking "Red and Blue Chair" in 1917, but you wouldn't want to sit on it for long. Salvador Dali (1904-1989) collaborated with Edward James to produce his "Mae West's Lips Sofa", another piece that looks like it offers temporary relief rather than long-term repose. The German-American architect, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886-1969), who was responsible for the design of some iconic chairs, got it right when he said "A chair is a very difficult object. A skyscraper is almost easier. That is why Chippendale is famous." Will the corrugated cardboard chair make it from concept to high street store? I doubt it, but what do I know? I'd have said the same about inflatable plastic armchairs and sofas and I've seen those for sale in discount stores and in use in students' flats!

photograph & text (c) T. Boughen

Camera: Olympus E510
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 40mm (80mm/35mm equiv.)
F No: f7.1
Shutter Speed: 1/8
ISO: 800
Exposure Compensation: -0.3 EV
Image Stabilisation: On