Hyper Comfort
Hyper Comfort_Gonflable and On Two Chairs
2022, inflatable and furniture, with Hans-Walther Müller and Julia Hartmeyer, Universität der Künste Berlin, Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin
With the premise of addressing the notion of Hyper Comfort I had the chance to work on two physical installations in the Neue Nationalgalerie.
First, a jointly built inflatable under the direction of Hans-Walter, formed by different air pressure conditions, mainfests as an unruly body in confrontation with the iconic museum architecture and its tamed flows. Here the potential of an architecture supported by air is explored, showcasing its constructive properties and the fleeting and mechanical dimension of air.
Secondly, I designed, assembled and installed a furniture project entitled On Two Chairs, set both inside and outside the glass hall of the Neue Nationalgalerie. Based on my investigation of furniture as adaptable objects and the notion of a breathing home, this installation focuses on a dialogue between the interior and exterior environments of the Neue Nationalgalerie. The two confronted chairs reveal an adaptation process that these furniture pieces have to perform in order to ensure comfort to their users. Inside the Glass Hall, the Barcelona Chair stands as an untouchable figure. Without having to serve the museum visitors with any special features, since all the needs of the museum actors are already covered by the technical equipment hidden in the majority of the underground level, this heavy and elegant lounge chair allows itself to simply rests in the well-tempered indoor climate of the glass hall. Although the transparency of the building gives the impression of permeability, this object is isolated from its exterior by the regulation of the air that surrounds it. On the other side of the façade, the visitor of the exhibition is exposed to a demanding outdoor climate, leaving the building‘s area of responsibility to face situations of friction, such as a summer heat wave. The design of the Monobloc chair, equipped with plug-in devices, challenges the search for outdoor comfort and highlights the enormous effort that must be made to mediate with the outdoor climate. With the aim of satisfying one of the chair user‘s essential needs, a device is proposed that attempts to cool an airflow that allows the user to view the rest of the exhibition from the immediate outdoor space. In order not to exceed the weight of the bare Barcelona Chair, this piece of furniture stands as a bricolage exercise assembled with humble tools and plain resources that can only be activated by the effort of its users. Among other things, it questions the role of humans, who are often replaced by machines, in the operation of a building. It also raises the question of the accessibility of comfort.