Retreat

7ft. tall, 3ft. wide

Plywood frame, sand for weighted panels, fabric, arduino, speakers (2013)

Retreat is a corner chair with weighted fabric covers zip together and conform to a body like a heavy jacket, and compress the participant to the planar nature of a wall. The intention of the piece is to force a sense of conflicting separation on the participant, either mentally or physically. Embedded in the walls of the seat are speakers that produce low powerful bass, triggered by the weight of the participant. The sound muffles the surrounding ambient noise and desensitizes the participant from their present environment. This furniture piece was designed and fabricated for the 2013 show Substance | Semblance, a joint exhibit exploring cognitive perception between RISD and MIT at the MIT Museum.