maarten baas: the empty chair for amnesty international

'the empty chair' by maarten baas for amnesty international
photo by frank tielemans


to honor chinese nobel peace prize winner liu xiaobo, amnesty international invited dutch designer maarten baas
to create a piece to support their campaign against the increased suppression of writers, journalists, artists and activists.
the result is 'the empty chair', a seat whose ladder back towers about five meters tall - a kind of metaphor of
reaching for the sky, and that freedom of thought and speech is important for all.

baas' chair design stands as a symbol for the chair that liu xiaobo did not sit in during the nobel prize awards ceremony back in 2010,
as he is currently serving an 11 year imprisonment for 'undermining the state'.

'the empty chair' will be presented during the 50th anniversary of amnesty international on may 28th, 2011
in pakhuis de zwijger, amsterdam.



bird's-eye view of the chair's 5 meter tall ladder back
photo by frank tielemans


'the empty chair' full view
photo by frank tielemans