Seats with a View exhibition shines fresh light on chairs
Architecture and design luminaries reflect on daily items and change them into a simple piece of furniture, which is both functional yet artistic
Glowing a cool blue, the Cybertecture Love Seat is no ordinary bench. Sit down with a friend and the light becomes violet. Nudge closer together and the bench cycles through yellow and orange before finally reaching crimson red.
"I'm interested in daily objects that could be more intelligent and react to people's relationships and emotions," says the seat's creator, architect James Law, who embedded the transparent acrylic bench with sensors and LED lights.
"I thought, 'A bench is meant for two people, so why doesn't it react to their emotions through sensors and lighting?' If they're in love the bench will react vibrantly; if not it will be much more subdued.
"It's a way of letting the furniture become a window into people's souls."
Law's bench was one of nine pieces shown at Art Basel Hong Kong in Seats with a View, an exhibition of locally designed chairs organised by the Hong Kong Design Centre.
Local luminaries Barrie Ho, Lee Chi-wing, Dan Lee, Steve Leung, Ed Ng and Kelvin Ng drew chairs from their collections, while Law, Douglas Young and Freeman Lau designed creations for the show.