The first article in this series was entitled Everyday Art: Garbage Cans. If even the lowly garbage can is able to become an inspiration, I wondered what else could. Chairs, like garbage cans, are seemingly everywhere with a multitude of designs, mostly quite boring. When I picture a chair in my head, I think of a plain, utilitarian wooden chair. Uncomfortable, uninspiring and downright boring. They do however, serve the purpose of providing a place to sit.
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Well I wondered if a chair could be more than mundane, more than ordinary and quickly discovered that they could. Sometimes the chair itself becomes part of a sculpture. While it is not necessarily a "usable" chair anymore, it definitely is still a chair.
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This art work sculpture I found on www.flickr.com. The heads are protruding from the seat of the chair on long necks or perhaps branches which symbolize the chair being made out of wood. The statues faces are all different and all have a different expression. Perhaps this refers back to the oneness of humanity. Everyone is different, has different features, thoughts, emotions, lifestyles, dreams and backgrounds. However, everyone needs to rest. To sit a little while and think about things. I've got no guess as to what the hand's doing up near the top. Maybe it just looks neat, no idea (lol).
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These statues of chairs are in front of Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC. These ones are a little more usable than the previous sculpture. You'd just need a really big ladder to get up there. Maybe the school of "higher learning" requires higher chairs. The chairs are scattered along the front garden of the University.
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This chair was entered in the New Mexico state fair as being an "architectural chair". Of the three sculpture chairs I've chosen to display here, this one may be the most usable (although I'm not sure of the proportions of the chair -- perhaps more usable for kids than adults). The wood supports holding the clear glass resemble people carrying the load. Perhaps it symbolizes the struggle within us all to balance work and rest. This is the last example of a "less than usable" chair for the article. The rest of these chairs you could actually sit down in and enjoy.
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These chairs, while they are extremely sculptural pieces, are completely usable as illustrated by the guy in plaid on the left. They are located in old town Puerto vallarta and provide an excellent view of the water beyond. The stone ground underneath the chairs fades into the look of the water perfectly giving the look of chairs floating on the water. The chairs themselves rise high above looking like underwater sea creatures of something straight out of Lord of the Rings.
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The double chair illustrated in the above picture is completely moulded out of plastic and gives the area a modern, minimalistic feel. The white on white on white is further accentuated by the pops of black and the painting above the chair. While this does not look like the most comfortable place in the world to kick back and relax, the chairs themselves give a very artistic flair to the room. Sometimes the chairs don't have to be so completely different from what you'd find in your house.
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These two bar stool type chairs are a good example of what can be done with paint. The chairs have been painted in the style of Van Gogh's Starry Night. What a beautiful way to take two ordinary chairs and turn them into something extraordinary and unexpected. All you need is paint, and a whole lot of talent!
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This chair too has been worked upon with someone with a lot of paint and talent. The painted eye on the top of the chair and the hands at the bottom of the seat may symbolize what is on the outside of the sitter while the religious symbolizes could represent what is on the inside of the sitter. No matter what the painted symbols on the chair mean, it is definitely a beautiful piece of art. Much nicer than veneered wood.
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This sculptural chair featured at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney shows how something that is very sculptural can also look like a chair that would be comfortable and practical. This chair would fit perfectly into the white minimalist room pictured above. Sometimes a change on the ordinary is good for the eye. Sometimes, like in this case, the changes on the ordinary are good for the soul as well. Being able to live with such artistic surroundings would open up whole new rooms in one's imagination.
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Chairs are outdoors as well as in so I thought I had better find an example of how your outdoor living spaces can become more than plastic patio chairs and rusty umbrellas. The form of these chairs is probably very familiar to most as it has been a popular artistic chair for several decades. I've personally never seen them designed for outdoor use with a table base that matches the chair. You can just picture this patio set in a rich, lush back yard. Perhaps with a pond in the background and many different colours of flowers and leaves.
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This funky guitar chair would provide hours of enjoyment for any music lover. The beautiful lines of this chair would make it a perfect addition to any music room. I've never seen anything quite like it. The sheen of the wood surrounded by the dark outline of the edges of the chair give the perfect look of a highly polished piece of art. The back of the chair would also provide many hours of enjoyment for the air guitarer in us all! These chairs are available for puchase here. This site offers this guitar chair in a few different styles as well as guitar coffee tables.
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Lastly, I present the comfy chair. The retro sixties look of this chair is ordinary but inspiring none the less. I can just imagine coming home at the end of the day to sit outside on the patio in the warm summer air. Drink in one hand, book in the other. Comfy chairs are what makes a home a home.
Keep your eyes open to see how you can make your spaces more appealing and less mundane. To be surrounded by beauty all the time would perhaps be overwhelming. But a piece or two of art in an unexpected and unusual way can relieve some of life's humdrum. Stay tuned for more articles on everyday art.
Blessings.
Sincerely,
-Liane Schmidt.