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    Project zero : explorative interrogation of material and fabrication processes through zero waste chair design : an exegesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Design, Massey University College of Creative Arts, Wellington, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2017) Catchpole, Glenn
    Project Zero is a response to the volume of waste produced in the fabrication of timber furniture. It joins the ‘zero waste’ movement that has been adopted by progressive thinking communities worldwide — which share a common interest in resource conservation (Connett, 2006; SF Environment, 2011). While zero waste philosophies address all aspects of material life cycles, zero waste design fundamentally seeks to prevent waste in the creation of a product, thus eliminating unnecessary resource consumption from the outset, through design. In this practice-based research project, a zero waste chair is designed through an explorative reiterative process, where materials greatly inform new technologies, aesthetics and form. Materials not only influence the physical attributes of the chair, but also shape how it is experienced (Karana et al., 2014). Through visibility of material and fabrication processes, the Pare occasional chair communicates a design story of a zero waste life cycle. The central innovation of the research is the development of a new zero waste composite material, made from mycelium and timber veneer. It is the result of an extensive interrogation of material manipulations and fabrication processes. The mycelium material, which is grown using waste wood shavings and live fungi, is programmable and can be moulded or pressed. The veneer, rather than being layered into a sheet product then machined, such as with plywood, is first shaped using zero waste pattern cutting inspired by textile processes. The shaped veneer is then laminated with the mycelium into compound curves, eliminating the need for post-processing. This research extends the emerging discourse around zero waste design. In particular, it offers a critical design response to ‘zero waste’ chair design using timber products. The resulting design proposition is positioned as a prototype for an iconic zero waste chair. Subsequent research beyond the scope of the current project would facilitate commercial application of Pare. Furthermore, the research findings around zero waste material innovation offer opportunities for the advancement of material conscious design and fabrication for other zero waste products.
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    RARA : Rover chairs : an adventure in adhocism : an exegesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Design at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2015) Adank, Rodney Gordon
    This practice based research explores the nature of opportunity availed by an adhocist strategy employed in seating design. It is inspired and sustained through a focus and reflection on Ron Arad’s Rover Chair, 1981. Characteristics of adhochism such as opportunity, heterogeneity and value are unpacked through case studies. Seating concepts developed through research practice are examined. RARA (Ron Arad: Rod Adank) incorporates the appropriation of design and cultural references as a part of a hybridization strategy. It considers the role of immersive experience, physicality and affective design in the development of a body of work tethered to a design precedent. It postulates that by pursuing the pleasure of design through a practice of playfulness, humour, irony and compulsiveness, diverse and creative solutions to seating may be found.
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    A work-from-home wardrobe for Air-Chair : investigating (play + logic = wit) design : an exegesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Design, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2011) Amdal, Karin
    In my background as an art director in advertising, I used graphic wit as a communication tool to evoke emotion and connect with my audience; to trigger a smile in the hope of capturing their memories. The thought process behind wit is often a collision of two ideas which Koestler (1964, 35) refers to as ‘bisociation’. Heller (1991, 11) describes “wit and humour in design occur when play and logic are seamlessly intertwined”. This research project uses ( play + logic = wit ) to explore practical furniture solutions through an intuitive and conceptually driven creative practice. Instead of dressing myself for work, I dress my work chair according to mood or business of the day. This activity revealed the lack of boundaries and transition between work and home and the effects humour can play on everyday life. I have extrapolated this previous experience from 2D to 3D in the context of a collection of suits that dress Jasper Morrison’s Air-Chair. The unstructured, understated tactility and vivid colour palette of wool felt allows me to use local raw materials, to create a fabric to tailor the suits that suggests a language of three dimensional cartoon characters. In the act of dressing the chair for work, the suits invite me to an interlude of play. In a ritual transition between work and domesticity, the chair becomes a companion. The chair and I have a subtle dialogue, an experience that creates a platform to further explore lightness in everyday objects through wit.