No. 33

Graft On

By : Yukako Yazaki

Entrant’s location : 日本

Description

台風15号の被害を受けたヒノキの巨木は、木という本来の役割を失って切り株になった。私たちはここに新たな役割を与えるため、座面を整えて柔らかな椅子にするという補完を行なった。今まで壊れたモノや破壊されたモノは、その本来の姿に戻そうと修理される、あるいは放置、破棄されてきた。しかし修理ではなくその本来性から離れて新たな役割を与えること、補完していくことがモノと人の新たな在り方ではないだろうか。切り株を3Dスキャンしたデータをもとに切り株にぴったりフィットするモデリングを行った。出力には造形範囲が1m×1m×1mの大型3Dプリンターを使用し、素材には耐候性のある熱可塑性エラストマーを用いた。構造には負のポアソン比をもつオーゼティックパターンを使用した。このパターンは人が座ることで変形し柔らかさを生み出す。製作した椅子は切り株の断面の形状や角度の違いから場所によって柔らかさが違く、その人自身の体重や座り方で振る舞いを変える。

What did you create?

Objects that were broken or destroyed tend to either be repaired to their original form or be left and thrown away. However, rather than restoring its original purpose, providing it with new functions seems to be the new state between things and people. Big trees that turned into stumps after the damage caused by Typhoon No.15 and No. 19 lost their original role as trees. This artwork aims to provide a new purpose through the complementation of recovering the seat surface and making it a soft and flexible chair.

Why did you make it?

Typhoon No.15 and No. 19 left a massive shock among us. Storms. Overflow of rivers. Scraps flowing everywhere, roofs and cars. The dam emergency discharge. The rescue team going across the road with boats. It was a typhoon that hit directly like no other. Our school located in Kanagawa prefecture was also impacted by the damage from Typhoon No.15. The fallen trees turned into stumps and ended their purpose as trees. This may be taken as the law of nature, but we challenge to involve people and add new value. Furthermore, chairs located outdoors hold an important role in Japan’s aging society. Currently, 1.2 million people across Japan and 30% of the population over 65 years old suffer from cardiac insufficiency. Patients that suffer from this illness frequently need a resting place when going out because there are possibilities of chest pain and angina. In today’s aging society with less caregivers, elderlies going out is getting increasingly difficult. Through the use of digital fabrication, we will help and support elderlies to live with an active and healthy lifestyle.

How did you make it?

The Hinoki tree that fell down by the attack of Typhoon No.15 was taken and turned into a stump by manufacturers. The cross section was roughly cut in a slant and there were even some holes within; hence it was not suited to be used as a chair. Thereupon, we made an attachment with a height and softness that allowed comfortable sitting, that is also designed to fit the stump perfectly by 3D scanning the cross section. For production, a large-scale 3D printer with a building volume of 1m x 1m x 1m was used, and a weather-resistant thermoplastic elastomer was used for the material. For the structure, an auxetic pattern with a negative Poisson’s ratio was applied. This pattern enables to change shape and create a certain softness when people sit on the chair. This softness is controlled by the pattern’s size and thickness of the hinge, and the moderate level of comfort when sitting on the chair was verified through numerous trials. The finalized chair is designed to have different softness in different areas due to the shape and angle of its cross section. This way, the chair will change its behavior depending on the person’s weight and how they sit.

Your entry’s specification

Attachment Size : W630 x D720 x H220 (mm) Weight : 7.6kg Material：The Hinoki Stump that fell down by the attack of Typhoon No.15, Thermoplastic Elastomer