Curran Zhang- LookingOutwards-3

The chAIr Project was created through the collaborations of Philipp Schmitt, Steffen Weiss, and two neural networks. The point of this project as to reverse the roles of chairs and human and switch up the normal perspective of everyday objects. As designs for chairs become more functional and efficient for the everyday usage, the idea of creating a chair without those constraint was put into play. Through the usage of AI, 20th-century chair designs were contained in a data set and the best quality of the chairs were pulled out. The best quality is no longer based on functional or efficiency but based off what is the prettiest and most visually captivating. Through the creations of AI, there were chairs that looked nothing like furniture or not functional at all.

This project was interesting as it tries to let observers have a perspective that is complete opposite that of a human perspective. Although the chairs generated hold no function as a chair, this project stimulated us into thinking what would be the “prettiest” chair without normal constraints of functionality. I believe that kind of thinking should be implemented in all designer’s concepts. Creating a perspective that doesn’t follow the observers’ assumption; creating chairs that are not for sitting or creating space that shouldn’t exist. Having observers questioning their predetermined thoughts help push designs to a new level.

The chAIr Project – Reversing the role of human and machine in the design process