hundreds of eyes make up the scopophilia chair by fiona roberts

‘scopophilia’ chair by fiona roberts

australian artist/designer fiona roberts has embedded a cacophony of plastic eyeballs into an upholstered chair entitled ‘scopophilia’, which means ‘the love of looking’. the surface of the chair is upholstered with red velvet that is folded over hundreds of the gaping peepers to then form eyelids, with this excessive ‘gaze’ haunting the flesh, generating the uncomfortable feeling of being exposed. the piece is the phobic object of a subject suffering from its antithesis, scopophobia (the fear of being looked at).

roberts says of the design:

‘a chair is designed to fit, comfort and support the body, but the ‘scopophilia’ chair no longer possesses some of these functions, although from a distance it appears to offer them, alternately, the form of the chair is reminiscent of an open-armed hug that invites the viewer into its ‘caress’.’

the excessive ‘gaze’ haunts the flesh, generating the uncomfortable feeling of being exposed

‘scopophilia’ means ‘the love of looking’