Robotic hot-wire cutting was the technique used to create the foam formwork. Using this technique limited the formwork to being composed of only ruled surfaces. This limitation pushed the boundaries of what shapes could be produced with ruled surfaces. This process not only challenged the form but also the capabilities of multi-pass, hot-wire programming using Super Matter Tools. Plucker’s conoid is a ruled surface named after the German mathematician Julius Plücker. The shape can be defined also as a conical wedge or cylindroid. The integration of this shape drove the basic form of the chair. Because of the cylindrical nature of the surface, the shape’s exterior edges align with a cylinder. This gave us the ability to cast a completely non-linear chair.

The materiality of the white concrete, in conjunction with the interior seams, creates deep shadows that highlight the form of the chair. The curved form-work pieces coming together create a concrete form that looks as if it is folded into itself. This gives the chair a light feel, juxtaposing the heavy structural material it is composed of.

The design of the chair was created for Professor Wes McGee to sit and Professor Tsz Yan Ng to pick up. We saw this as an opportunity to create a chair that served as a five-minute place of pause. Unexpectedly, the form of the chair invited people of all heights to play and interact with the chair in ways unimagined. Once we explained the cast was a chair, people sat, rocked, saddled, and played in various ways. Some shared a snack while others restlessly tried various ways of sitting. Everyone interacted with the chair for about five minutes.