Allie
Chayann Aravena
A Seat For stories
Allie is a foundation that supports varying materials to form individual chairs. Using industrial ratchet straps, Allie is able to take on many forms dictated by the material added. The profile is an archetype of commonly associated features used in everyday chairs. By using this archetype the chair is able to transform easily based on the material added.
This project looks at how this active process in creating new objects can form more meaningful connections and how this activity can foster narratives. Through narratives, we can form a history of the object increasing its value and sequentially it’s longevity. My personal writings of my experience locating material, constructing and photographing these chairs is me putting this process into practice.
This page contains the documentation of found materials and their locations using Allie. Streets, alleys, industrial areas, and public places were explored within the city of Vancouver, New Westminster, Burnaby and Coquitlam. Each entry uses Allie, a frame of a chair, as a foundation to utilize discarded materials. Each chair is an individual that is reflective of its place and its material.
QR Code
Throughout this project, QR codes will lead to the general location where each chair was constructed and its material found. They can be scanned with most smartphone cameras.
Plus Code
This code uses the latitude and longitude of a location to create an address for an area that does not have one.
what3words
Applying a 3-meter square grid that covers the globe, each space has a designated 3-word code.
All chairs have a QR Code, Plus Code and a what3words that if clicked or scanned will open a new tab or app. Each tab or app, in a different way, will show the location of where material was found to construct the chairs pictured below.
1
Seat: Mossy, wet plywood
Back: Mossy, heavy floor tile
Located near my neighbourhood plaza “The Crest”, a place where local youth hang and adults buy groceries. With my Mom, I’ve walked down this alley many times as a child. It is an alley that I visit frequently looking for discarded items.
2
Seat: Pieces of dusty carpet
Back: Drywall with attached tiles
Behind a local church lays a rented dumpster. It contained old cork boards, rolled-up carpet, drywall, lighting fixtures and tiles. I presume that this church is undergoing renovations. Its parking lot was full on a Tuesday afternoon.
3
Seat: Middle drawer of a dresser
Back: Bottom drawer of a dresser
A vintage dresser placed in an alley with a free signposted on the fence. There were extra pieces of wood and hardware in the top drawer belonging to the furniture piece. I hope that someone found this dresser and gave it a home.
4
Seat: Particle board surface
Back: Slightly tinted glass
A pile of junk and garbage bags littered in an empty lot. No shade, the heat makes the food scraps smell bad. The most obvious site where the abandoned material is clearly unwanted.
5
Seat: Rusted metal mesh
Back: Charred cupboard door
Burnt debris of a home. Police tape used to deter people from entering the hazardous area. What remains is blackened with ash and crumbling. Terracotta roof tiles, unharmed from the heat, litter the scene.
6
Seat: Driftwood
Back: Driftwood
Piles of sand covered driftwood where the beach meets the path. The red straps got wet and grainy from the sand. Rather than an abandoned material, driftwood freely comes to rest on a shore. Met a black rabbit on the beach.
7
Seat: Particle board with plastic finish
Back: Particle board with plastic finish
A pile of particle board with a cheap plastic finish imitating wood. The pieces used to fill in the negative space fit the frame perfectly. Finding this alley has thrown off my sense of direction, definitely not an area that I have visited before.
8
Seat: Couch cushion
Back: Couch cushion
In a neighbourhood that I am not familiar with but is not far from my own. It had an unwelcoming mood. Loud drums in the distance stopped when a dog began parking alerting their owner of my presence. The cushions were damp, muddy, and covered in bugs. I felt rushed.
9
Seat: Freezer door
Back: Fridge door
Close to where extended family lives. The alleys in this area are harder to find and navigate. Some of these alleys have secret entrances. Both fridge and freezer doors were filled with rainwater.
10
Seat: Sticks
Back: Sticks
The most natural of the found materials. The ground beneath me was covered in twigs with patches of mud that my shoes sank into. My feet were wet and so were the feet of the chair.
11
Seat: Cardboard
Back: Cardboard
At a warehouse where my mother works, I have passed this place many times. The sun is more than halfway set making the truck bay looks like a stage with yellow lights from above. There is an abundance of cardboard here. The straps assist in folding the thick cardboard over itself.
This project is dedicated to everyone who has played a part in my story.
Award Recipient
- The Wood Co-Op/Forestry Innovation Investment in Wood Design Industrial Design Graduation Award
