Arts Thread

“Symbiotic Seats” is an exploration into how we can bring more livingness into our day to day lives, as part of a series of experiments into living materials. Living materials have been used by humans for thousands of years, from elegant root bridges in Asia, to the humble hedgerow in Europe. As we shroud ourselves in conrete, class, metal, and plastic, we isolate ourselves from the very thing we wish to preserve - life. Living things have the ability to adapt, react, and repair, but are also incredibly fragile. However, it is this fragility which makes them so resiliant. As leaves are damaged, and branches bent during use, the chairs slowly adapt their form in response. These “Symbiotic Seats” challenge the user to explore their relationship with nature, making them decide if they should if they should be sat in like a chair, or left untouched like an ornamental garden. This project was completed with experts in the British traditional knowledge of living willow sculpture. This project has callenged previously perceived limitations, to create useable, transportable, and highly elegant living furniture. The chairs have been used to raise awareness of biodesign among younger generations as interactive exhibits at pretigious events and venues including the Great Exhibition Road Festival. The project is an ongoing experiment to see how the seats respond and adapt to their human interactions, they have most recently been installed in the children's garden in Kew Gardens, to see how we interact and behave with them as they grow and evolve over time.