Think about it, what product do we use most often in a day? Except for the smartphone, PC, or the glasses on your face, it is probably a chair. According to research reports, the chair appeared around the sixteenth century. At that time, the chair was a sign of wealth and power. This is why the “Chairman” title is still used as a reference to the leader of a group. Until the industrial revolution, and due to the standardization of mass production, inventions of typewriters, telegraphs, televisions, radios, and more, increased the number of sitting activities. Personal computers and the internet have set up countless seats, whether it is dining, working, playing, or resting, now almost 80% of our day is spent in a chair.
A good chair would have a long life cycle. It is a representation of a person’s life course. It could be a family heirloom or a sign of status. If you gather chairs from all over the world, each chair is like a profile that records the history of design and industrial development. Comparing design concepts, manufacturing methods, and the period of time for each chair, you could analyze design culture and design thinking all over the world.
SIT DOWN PLEASE is a collection of Taiwan-designed chairs. It shows Taiwan’s trajectory from an agricultural society in the 1930’s, to the developed nation it is today. Evolving over time, the materials represented by Taiwan-made chairs include bamboo, wood, metal, plastics, and paper. Taiwanese chairs can be made from diverse materials with unique industrial characteristics. Through a diverse use of materials, Taiwanese chair designers have varied their designs to show their distinct skill set.
坐座做．做座展｜SIT DOWN PLEASE
Dates: March 10th to July 5th 2020.
Time: 9:30-5:30.
Address: No. 133, Guangfu South Road, Xinyi District, Taipei City, 110
Website: 台灣設計館官網