Based on some of the semifinalists from a similar competition, I found myself interested in using icons that symbolized the city of Portland to inspire my design. I reached out to Ted Kaye, resident of Portland and secretary and fellow member of the North American Vexillological Association, and asked what were some icons that Portlanders would use to represent their city. He graciously responded with a long list of possibilities. The two that stood out to me were bridges, of which there are many that stretch across the Willamette River, and roses, from the roses throughout the city that earned it the nickname "Rose City".
|
I took these Portland icons and tried to use that to inspire the form of the seating. I never really felt any of the forms that I came up with were right. One thing that was an issue with my thinking throughout this project was my tendency to use the form of the inspiration literally, as opposed to allowing it to simply inspire the form and use it in subtle, useful ways.
|
In an attempt to try and be less literal, I tried to only use certain aspects of the rose and bridge's forms to work into the design: the overlapping and curve of rose petals and the linear, triangular patterns frequently seen on bridges. This design, however, had issues. I was unsure of how to achieve the curves in the design, there were too many contact points with the ground to confidently get right, and everything still felt too literal.
|
After join forces with Stephanie, we set out to try and find ways to make the most of our similar interests and see where that might lead the form. We started from the idea of "tension", but that soon transformed in using metal cables in the visual language to pay homage to the bridges. After sketching ideas, we decided to bring these ideas into the physical and see how they translated. These physical tests provided both knowledge of the material limitations and also gave a way to tangibly see how people would interact with the form. This produced the final design.
|
|
Stephanie and I then went to work in the workshop to make the seat. We learned a lot of new skills in this short process, like MIG welding, using a Portable band saw, and buying materials from sources other than big box stores like Lowe's. With the deadline looming, it was amazing to me how quickly we could learn these skills that before felt intimidating and overwhelming.
|
|
The final design, I felt, was very aesthetically pleasing with the patterning of the cables and the simplicity of the rest of the design. Named after the suspension bridge in Portland that the diagonal pattern of the cables reminded us of, it was a refreshing departure from my tendency to overcomplicate the design and try to brutally force ideas together as opposed to letting go off what does not work. Where it falls short is its interaction with the human body. A combination of the surface created by the cables and the angle the back leans back at makes the user very unnerved as he or she tries to lean back to relax. In future iterations, the pattern of the cable as it relates to supporting the human body and the angle the frame is at would be the primary focuses.
|