The understanding of materials and manufacturing processes is essential to the proficiency of furniture production and design. When asking the question, What place does the artisan play within a world of modern materials, and contemporary manufacturing processes? The often-narrow materiality of the artisan’s work must be considered. Is it a more intimate understanding of the material that invites ‘craft’, or is it the tooling, and processes, traditions that leave their marks? With a broader array of materials available to the designer, do we attribute a lesser understanding of these materials to the efficient, but the soulless variety of manufacturing processes and outcomes stamping their mark on the way we live. This seat explored that relationship alongside, structural systems which enable flexible, adaptive, iterative design processes.

An unusual choice of materiality was explored for this seat with 2 layers of water jet cut 6mm EDPM rubber. The intent behind this was to explore the use of a durable, non-structural, elastic material that’s use fell outside the conventions of common furniture design. This integrates with a 16mm stainless steel frame, which utilizes a highly efficient CNC bending process. On the Athfield memorial site, this seat can be configured to face, the Athfield’s iconic tower design, Neville Porteous’s handmade tiles or out to a fantastic view. All while maintaining a controlled arrangement that focusses users to face and interact with each other.