MFA GRAPHIC DESIGN
04.17.2020
13:00 HR
ZOOM
SPRING 2020
GRADUATE REVIEW JERRY LOCKABY
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STATE MENT
AUGMENTING CHAIR DESIGN WITH VIRTUAL SPACES While contemporary design combines form and function to
create a more accessible experience for the everyday consumer,1
the designer must find novel approaches in order to answer the
most basic questions. Necessities, such as food or sleep, present an opportunity for an artist searching for provocative solutions
that meet those needs. The desire to provoke is inherent in the
very nature of art; however, creating new work that challenges the
consumer often requires gazing into the past—learning from great artists who came before us in an effort to peer into the future.
The chair has been around at least as far back as the ancient
Egyptians (c. 1567 – 1320 bce)2 but did not come into common use until the 16th century. The history of modern and contemporary
art can be traced along the virtual timeline of chair design. Frank
Lloyd Wright, Frank Gehry, Mies van der Rohe, Marcel Breuer
and Charles Rennie Mackintosh are just a few of the artists who are also known for designing chairs (and other furniture).
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“The chairs Wright designed for the Hollyhock House (California 1917 – 1921) … promoted Arts and Crafts values and the architect’s own love of nature. The high‑backed design is reminiscent of the earlier Hill House chair design of Scottish architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh.”3 I, too, turned to Rennie Mackintosh as I undertook the challenge of exploring chair design and the use of historically significant
pieces by contemporary artists in work such as photography and
videos produced for pop music performers. Beginning with a
distillation and synthesis of Rennie Mackintosh’s Argyle chair
incorporating modern design elements, I challenged myself
to create chairs and chaises that depart from tradition while
reflecting the inherent nature of organic shapes and basic forms.
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“Despite the control and coordination demanded by his design sensibility, Mackintosh believed that a modem and individual approach to design could be reconciled with industrial production. While craftsmanship does not appear to have been his priority (that is, design and production were more separate), Mackintosh believed that the decorative arts contributed to the quality of life, not just for the discerning few, but in competition with historicism and traditional associations between luxury and decorative richness.�4 Through a course in digital fabrication, I learned how to design
and produce three-dimensional models. My goal was to acquire
new skills with available technologies, such as the large format
CNC router, CNC mill for metals, and 3D printers for both resin and ceramic printing. This effort to realize and build a
variety of chairs made of different types of materials was delayed by the closure of the university, including its fabrication lab.
I then explored a number of solutions to exhibit my
work in a virtual environment and discovered several
tools for publishing and interacting with 3D content.
I am currently focused on creating environmental scenes and content that can be transitioned into
augmented reality. While my goal remains to produce
my designs with the available university fabrication
tools, I also excited to continue my exploration into the digital world of 3D and AR content creation.
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The opportunity to delve into augmented reality has presented me with a new way to reach an audience. My experience in
website design and digital advertising makes 3D and AR a
natural progression. Experimenting with the idea of making
chairs, creating 3D renders and placing them into virtual space,
I’ve also created augmented reality assets that allow you to
I began by examining the traditional shapes and lines used for
building chairs. I then experimented with form and structure,
which led me to design a more organic chair and a chaise with a
kinetic, polished surface which will be made out of aluminum or other lightweight metal. I am now in the process of making AR
assets, which I plan to use to create interactive art. My preliminary
renders can be viewed on my website, jerrylockaby.com/furniture,
which I will update as I develop assets for use in augmented reality.
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END​ NOTES
1 Frazier, Jessica. (2012, August 31). A brief history of the chair in design. https://denverartmuseum.org/ article/staff-blogs/brief-history-chair-design. 2 Butler, Joseph T. Lassen, Erik. Wormley, Edward J. Furniture: history. https://www.britannica.com/technology/furniture 3 Craven, Jackie. (2019, July 3). Chairs by famous architects—architecture you can sit on. https://www. thoughtco.com/chairs-by-famous-architects-177773 4 Raizman, David. (2013). History of Modern Design. Laurence King Publishing.
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MID: 225-LOCKABY
JERRYLOCKABY.COM/FURNITURE
SECOND SEMESTER