Winning chair, “Assembly,” debuts at ICFF 2019
NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–lt;a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/art?src=hash” target=”_blank”gt;#artlt;/agt;–“The Future” was the theme that students at Kent
State University considered to design chairs for the 15th
Annual Wilsonart
Challenges Student Chair Design Competition. Each entry was inspired by
the students’ personal interpretation of what The Future means and how
it can be expressed in a chair design. For the first time this year,
students were encouraged to explore this theme through parametric design
and digital fabrication. Students used patterns from the Wilsonart®
Laminate Collection. The winning
chair and five runners up will make their first public appearance in
booth #2213 at the 2019 International Contemporary Furniture Fair
(ICFF) in New York.
Wilsonart, a world leading creator of beautiful engineered surfaces,
developed the year-long program, which is both a sponsored class and a
competition. Students learn how to design and build a one-of-a-kind
chair, as well as how to prepare for a major trade show. Wilsonart
introduced the program more than a decade ago, making it the
longest-running sponsored student design class in the U.S.
Greg Genter won the 2019 competition with his design “Assembly.” His
chair is an exploration into what a chair should be. Assembly requires
that the user put energy and thoughtfulness into the act of sitting. In
turn, by putting in this energy, one inherently connects more with the
object and thus receives a richer experience. The judges noted that
Assembly is both art and architecture. The chair takes cues from
Brutalist architecture and the architectural sense of form and
multi-function. The use of laminate in Assembly’s design made the volume
of the form read more as an authentic and integrated object. Judges also
appreciated the chair’s monumental scale and the choice of grey that
allowed for a delightful play of shadows.
“Using parametric design and digital fabrication helped the students
concept, design and build chairs that have an architectural sense to
them,” said Grace Jeffers, Design Historian and Wilsonart Challenges
Program Director. “Through this process, the students have created
stunning chairs that are an excellent expression of the brief they were
given – to think about The Future.”
A different design school hosts Wilsonart Challenges each year. This
year, Wilsonart worked with Kent State College of Architecture and
Environmental Design. Director of the Interior Design Program and
Associate Professor Dr. Pamela Evans, IIDA 2018 Educator of the Year,
and Associate Professor Bill Lucak, worked with the students over the
course of the year. “The process is one that takes the students,
professors and staff on a journey of exploration of not only the design
process but one of self-exploration,” Dr. Evans noted. “The six chairs
that are exhibited here are examples of that endeavor.” Every chair is
one-of-a-kind, handmade by the individual student and not intended for
mass production. Genter will receive a scholarship and an all-expenses
paid trip to New York to premiere his chair at ICFF.
“From a chair inspired by the philosophy of ‘Go with the Flow’ to
another one that communicated ‘Life is a Journey,’ this year’s students
have beautifully expressed their thoughts about The Future,” noted Tammy
Weadock, Communications Manager at Wilsonart. “The Future was also a
perfect guidepost for designing with laminate, a material which
continues to evolve each year in equal parts art and engineering.
We are overwhelmed with the students’ artistry, creativity and inventive
uses.”
About “Wilsonart Challenges…”
Wilsonart sponsors the “Wilsonart Challenges…” student design
scholarship program to foster the careers of emerging furniture
designers in North America. Now in its 15th year, this
competition challenges students at a design school to create a unique
chair that uses Wilsonart® Laminate to answer a specific design
challenge.
About Wilsonart
Wilsonart, a world leading engineered surfaces company, is driven by a
mission to create surfaces people love, with service you can count on,
delivered by people who care. The company manufactures and distributes
High Pressure Laminate, Quartz, Solid Surface, Coordinated TFL and
Edgebanding and other engineered surface options for use in the office,
education, healthcare, residential, hospitality and retail markets.
Operating under the Wilsonart®, Resopal®, Polyrey®, Arborite®,
Laminart®, Bushboard™, Shore™, Mermaid™, Ralph Wilson®, KML® and Durcon®
brands, the company continuously redefines decorative surfaces through
improved performance and aesthetics. For more information, visit www.wilsonart.com
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The Kent State College of Architecture and Environmental Design
The College of Architecture and Environmental Design at Kent State
University is dedicated to the education of responsible professionals
who are committed to the improvement of the quality of life, enhancement
of the physical environment and the protection of the public welfare.
The college also promotes research in the various fields of
environmental design, development of faculty scholarship, broadening of
students’ exposure to advanced theory and techniques and dissemination
of knowledge. It contributes to the public welfare through its outreach
programs to assist communities in their effort of improving the physical
environment.
Contacts
Tammy Weadock
[email protected]
(254)
207-3444
