Tuesday, February 7, 2012

The New Project: Cardboard Chair

And so it begins...a new project! The next project to consume a majority of my time is to make a chair out of cardboard. And interesting request I have to admit, but I'll happily take on the challenge (at least it doesn't involve multiple trips to Walgreens, I'm beginning to know those employees by name now).

Our assignment over the weekend was to create a chair using one 4' x 8' sheet of cardboard. We were stripped of any adhesives (glue, tape, sticky tack) as well as disallowing us to remove any part of the sheet. So what was left was cutting, slitting, folding, crumpling, shoving, and most importantly, sitting.

My initial thought was simplicity. So I started out with a few sketches, trying to get my ideas on paper.

 From previous building projects I've done in the past, I figured the three pointed shape was the strongest. So I took that idea and tried to translate it into a form that could withstand a lot of weight.
After exploring those concepts, I moved on to creating a few prototypes...some more successful than others....



From those prototypes, I went on to building a chair that could withstand a little bit more than a Barbie's weight.


I know, it's not the best thought-out project in the world, but I have fulfilled the challenge. I wish I would have put more thought into the aesthetic value because my idea of folding over the flaps and tucking them into the sides didn't work due to the thickness of my material. I also wish I would have made the chair shorter and closer to the ground because it would have made the structure more compact and left me with more material to support it further.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VAY-D_qGMA
Check this out if you want to see a SUPER cool cardboard chair...people can be so creative sometimes...

No comments:

Post a Comment