Design The design proposal for this chair is a collaboration between a Dutch engineer and a Yemeni refugee. Since August 2023, the refugee has been assisted. How can we create a future for our young new inhabitant? The local language, local habits, geography and history, building and design techniques, swimming, where and how do we start learning? We decided to start learning by doing.
Unfortunately, the Israel-Hamas war has a global effect; the war has extended to the Red Sea. We are involved in a war with the Houthis in Yemen. The contradiction can’t be bigger; on the one hand, our country is destroying military objects, energy supplies and infrastructure in Yemen to defend our trade route. On the other hand, we help refugees build a future. War is never a solution, it’s a temporary failure of our society.
In our collaboration we found out that the peace symbol “ban the bomb” is a Western symbol, it’s not known in Yemen. That’s the reason our collaboration proposal for the chair ended up with an abstract translation of the international victory symbol, the “V” sign, which also has the connotation of peace. We designed a public seating object suitable for gardens or office entrances and built from Solid Surfaces. It consists of eight different connected units, together shaped like a hand showing the “V” sign.
The white color of the surfaces is internationally known for its reference to peace. The top surface of the seating object is curved in two directions for orientation purposes and to improve comfort.
Technique The eight units of the chair are built of matte Solid Surfaces. Each unit is supported by its own Solid Surface honeycomb and connected with other units using stainless steel tubular spacers. The division into eight different parts makes the chair easy to assemble, transport, and disassemble.
Future According to the United Nations, the world population will grow to 9.7 billion in 2050. We all know this puts pressure on the planet’s resources, like food, energy and water. Pollution, deforestation and other factors will degrade ecosystems and biodiversity. The young population, together with the huge demands on our planet, increases the chances of conflict. We can’t just sit and wait, we’ll have to act. This chair with a symbolic connotation invites people to gather, to play, to meet and to discuss. It’s an invitation to prevent conflicts.
