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Chair Transformation Collaboration Project

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Member type: Other

If you're an artist, what kind of art do you make?: Conceptual, Digital, Sculpture

I am...: A Chair Transformation Collaboration started in the Kosuth's Chair Group at artreview. You are welcome to join.

About my artwork: We invite you to participate in a chair collaboration,
transforming a chair into different states of being
through folding and cutting, and through passing in
and out of two and three dimensions as the chairs pass
through email from artist to artist.

The basic process...

Artist A:

Step 1: Design paper chair constructed by folding and
cutting.

Step 2: Make a diagram of the folds and cuts. Write
folding and cutting instructions.

Step 3: Take photos: front, back, side views.

Step 4: Forward diagram and written instructions to
Artist B by email.

Artist B:

Step 1: Print diagram and instructions.

Step 2: Reconstruct chair from diagram and
instructions.

Step 3: Take photos: front, back, side views.

Step 4: Transform reconstructed chair with new folds
and cuts.

Step 5: Take photos: front, back, side views.

Step 6: Make a diagram of the new folds and cuts.
Write additional folding and cutting instructions.

Step 7: Forward the diagrams and instructions to
Artist C by email.

Artist C:

Step 1: Print diagrams and instructions.

Step 2: Reconstruct chair from diagrams and
instructions.

Step 3: Take photos: front, back, side views.

Step 4: Transform reconstructed chair with new folds
and cuts.

Step 5: Take photos: front, back, side views.

Step 6: Make a diagram of the new folds and cuts.
Write additional folding and cutting instructions.

Step 7: Forward the diagrams and instructions to
Artist D by email.

And so forth, back to the original Artist or until the
instructions and diagrams become too difficult to
follow.

The chairs will change in expected ways through
intentional transformation and in unexpected ways
through the process of translation and human error.
The chairs will eventually reach points in which they
will be too complicated to translate and reconstruct:
the chairs will have reached natural ending places.
These points likely will differ chair to chair.

Check Kosuth's Chair group for more information.

If you would like to participate, comment below or in the Kosuth Chair group.

So far, we have been testing the process with two chairs. Selected diagrams and photos from these tests are shown in the photo box here.

We'll post the photos and diagrams here, and perhaps in the future arrange exhibition(s) of the paper chairs. We are excited to see the evolution of the chairs.

Interests: Chairs, transformation

Centre of the artworld:: nowhere and everywhere

Chair Transformation Collaboration's Photos

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At 8:28pm on May 28, 2009, Deirdre A. Fox said…: Hi, all. It's been a while. Personally, I found the changes to artreview a bit frustrating and aspects of the site were not working a lot of the time for me, so I've not spent as much time here. But I thought about our chair collaboration project when I saw a call for artists for international collaborative work at an art center here:

"Projected Exhibition Themes in 2009

CONTACT * CONNECT * COLLABORATE
Submission Deadline June 15, 2009. This exhibition is open to artists who collaborate across international boundaries. Within this one world concept, any local artist who is working with an individual or group from another country is eligible to submit samples of their work and proposal concepts. Artists should be drawn together by common interests or concerns. Visual artists may also collaborate with artists in other disciplines such as music, literature or architecture. Include names, contact information and biographies of all artists or groups involved in the project. Please follow the checklist for submissions and note quarterly submission dates on this site.

Transport of art is at the artist's expense.
Checklist for Submissions:
Cover letter relating submission to a particular exhibition opportunity (see themes listed above)
A brief artist's statement
Current resume listing education and exhibition history
Images of recent artwork on CD with no more than 10 - 15 images

Please consult our submissions guidelines for further information

For site-specific proposals: please send sketches of the work proposed and copies of previous site-specific work
Image identification sheet indicating title, date, medium, and dimensions
A self-addressed stamped envelope (submissions without SASE will not be returned and will be discarded"

The deadline -- June 15 -- is coming up soon. I wonder if those participating in our experimental collaboration are interested in submitting a variation of the project. Let me know in the next few days if there is interest, and perhaps if there is critical mass, we can pull something together to submit.

Post back here or the CHair collaboration thread in the Kosuth Chair group or message me. I have forgotten the password for the Chair Collaboration page itself (it's somewhere in the recesses of my brain) so, for now, I can message from that ID)
-Deirdre

At 2:47am on January 30, 2009, Ye Chao said…: love your work:)

At 8:19pm on July 23, 2008, Chair Transformation Collaboration said…: Hello friends

Sorry I have been out of pocket for a while. I have received some additional photos from Ali which I will post soon. At this point, I think we should perhaps consider the current line of chairs complete unless anyone is still working on one or another. I am swamped in transition. Perhaps we could revisit proceeding with the project in September? I'd add that looking at the chairs now, with some time having passed since I saw them, they really are quite delightful, and I would like to see us work further. - Dee

At 3:13am on June 28, 2008, Ali Bramwell said…: Hi all,
I have been a block point for 3 chairs at once.

all have already passed through many hands already...I think it is obvious that it will take longer and longer to respond as the instructions become more and more complex.

status report:
(48073 chair): from 48073-Dierdre-Pennie-Claudie-Ali
I have finished working with chair four and am compiling instructions and images to send on to the next person...if someone wants to take it? or am I the terminal point?

Chair 2 line 1, and Chair 2 line 2 are also in my care, I havent succeeded in decoding the instructions to build either chair yet. it seems as if some important piece's of information are missing.. but its also entirely possible that my brain is the problem!!..However Im also not quite ready to give up yet and declare the chairs 'dead'.

But in the interests of momentum -If I cant make progress by the end of this weekend I will reluctantly pass them on as they are to the next person to have a crack at.

so Pennie and Dierdre will be hearing from me one way or another by Monday at the latest. ok?

general impressions:
the whole thing is an enjoyable challenge. the ambiguity and inconsistency of the instructions is both awful and wonderful...I think the human error component and interpretive slippage is where the project becomes really lively.

(how do I know if Im holding the chair the right way up? what direction is 'behind'?...these things are not obvious when you enter a conversation in mid sentence...)

thanks for your patience.
ciao
Ali

At 10:42pm on June 27, 2008, Pennie Steel said…: This is a brilliant project. I think next time we will be ready for it. My feeling is to get the chairs passed on quickly say withing 48 hours otherwise I for one loose track.
Lets do another?
Or something similar
Pennie

At 4:09pm on June 24, 2008, Chair Transformation Collaboration said…: At present, the status, with the current chair holder in brackets, is:

Chair 1: Deirdre, Claudie, [Amy], 48073, Penny, Ali

Chair 2, Line 1: Claudie, Deirdre, Claudie, [Ali], Penny, 48073, Amy

Chair 2, Line 2: Claudie, Amy, Penny, 48073, [Ali], Deirdre

Chair 3: Penny, Claudie, 48073, [Amy], Deirdre, Ali

Chair 4: 48073, Deirdre, Penny, Claudie, [Ali].

If I am in error, please let me know. Also, if you currently have a chair that you think has become too difficult to reconstruct/transform -- we expect some to end before they reached all of us -- please let us know. If the chairs have piled up on you, and you wish to go ahead and pass a chair to the next person in line, please let me know.

At 9:50am on June 19, 2008, Pennie Steel said…: i Havn't had chair 2 from Ali yet! But have enjoyed them all so far! Dee I dont seem to have your email
Pennie

At 12:04am on June 19, 2008, Chair Transformation Collaboration said…: Hello, Chair People.

Our chairs really are coming to life!

You can see, I have started to upload new images. So far, I have Chair 2 Lines 1 and 2 up. If I am missing images (ie if you have not sent me images of your reconstructions or transformation, please email them to me, noting the Chair # Line # (if relevant) and your initials (or number for 48073) in the name of the file, please, to help me keep track. Also, please email any corrections to the text.

At present, the status, with the current chair holder in bold, is:

Chair 1: Deirdre, Claudie, Amy, 48073, Penny, Ali (This Chair is with Amy now).

Chair 2, Line 1: Claudie, Deirdre, Claudie, Ali, Penny, 48073, Amy

Chair 2, Line 2: Claudie, Amy, Penny, 48073, Ali, Deirdre

Chair 3: Penny, Claudie, 48073, Amy, Deirdre, Ali

Chair 4: 48073, Deirdre, Penny, Claudie, Ali. (Ali, I forwarding this chair to you)

We are nearing the last person for the chairs. I think we should regroup then, and discuss what we think of the project, how to proceed, ie -- adding color, and so forth.

I know it has been a struggle at times for each of us, but I think it's paying off. I am really excited to see how the chairs have evolved.

-Dee

At 3:06am on June 16, 2008, Ali Bramwell said…: Hello fellow eccentric chair transformers,

I am now back home (from my perambulations in korea) and looking at two extraodinary diagrammes in my mail inbox...
will now proceed to decode as best I may with much head scratching and will forward the results in the next days

Chair 2, Line 1: to Penny
Chair 2, Line 2: to Dierdre

anyone here who needs my email its: ali.bramwell [at] gmail.com (no spaces)

ciao
Ali