halfway serious wooden chair transforms sitting into a performative act of balance

Halfway Serious encourages collaboration between two users

Halfway Serious, a chair designed by Ahn Kihyun, examines human interaction and social behavior through a cooperative approach to furniture design. The piece requires two people to collaborate and engage with the wooden chair simultaneously, with a shared objective of maintaining balance and preventing an egg placed on the structure from falling. By doing so, the design promotes communication and mutual reliance between users through a shared experience. Following Ahn Kihyun’s first piece from the Halfway Serious series, the work takes an experimental stance on furniture, transforming its use into a performative act.

all images courtesy of Ahn Kihyun

wooden chair by Ahn Kihyun becomes an exercise in balance

Sitting on the chair becomes an exercise in balance and coordination, evoking a heightened sense of physical awareness. The balancing mechanism integrates parallel bars with structures designed to stabilize and protect an egg placed at either end. This incorporation of fragile elements like the egg introduces tension and emphasizes the delicate equilibrium between participants. The piece, designed by Ahn Kihyun, highlights the role of furniture as more than functional objects, pushing boundaries to explore themes of fragility, collaboration, and human interaction. The work stands at the intersection of performance, design, and human-centered experimentation.

Ahn Kihyun’s Halfway Serious chair encourages collaboration and interaction between two users

showcased in 2024 Seoul Design Festival, the series explores furniture as a medium for fostering social interaction

the design requires participants to maintain balance and protect fragile eggs placed on its structure

crafted from wood, the chair transforms sitting into a performative act of balance and coordination

parallel bars and stabilizing mechanisms ensure the eggs remain intact during use

users must communicate and rely on one another to prevent the eggs from falling

the inclusion of eggs emphasizes fragility and adds tension to the shared experience

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the design blurs the boundary between functional furniture and experimental performance art

sequence depicting two people performing a scene that requires cooperation, such as walking a tightrope

project info:

name: Halfway Serious
designer: Ahn Kihyun

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edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom