Chair Farm

Year: 2018
Account: studio aisslinger

“Plant yourself a chair …”

The chair farm concept is as simple as it is radical. A “plantation chair” produced in an agricultural Lab is an production utopia of the future…

The chair is no longer produced in the classical sense of the word. Instead, it grows of its own volition in a greenhouse or on a field. When it has reached maturity, the steel corset is opened and removed, revealing a naturally grown chair.

A new way to invert production in furniture design back from globalized serial manufacturing to resource-conserving local production.

Strawberries in winter, pumpkins in spring – everything is possible. But since the early 80s, or since discounters have moved into urban environments instead of staying out of towns, we have been witnessing a contradictory movement: a wish to return to a more primary and genuine way of living. Global markets with their unpredictable mechanisms increasingly intimidate consumers. More and more people are discovering the advantages of buying and consuming regionally grown seasonal products – advantages such as eating healthier, saving resources and being environmentally friendly. People know and care about their CO2 footprint. They want to make their own decisions about which resources they tap to eat, live, travel, etc. This new and different state of mind centers on leaving the role of a passive consumer and becoming an active, mindful individual. Home-grown food is harvested and stored. A new activism is blossoming. At the same time, a re-orientation towards collective living and working spaces is taking place. A good example for this is urban gardening, where residents open and share their garden space instead of having small individual allotments. In Berlin and other cities, project teams have formed which trade different kinds of services – car sharing, sofa surfing and urban gardening are no longer mere fashion statements.

People are discovering that life in all its multitude is much too beautiful to wrap it up in sanitized and ready-to-eat packages according to EU and DIN regulations. A cheer to the unconventional and surprising things in life!

This structural change has also influenced the world of product design. Many designers have anticipated the change towards green design or eco-pluralistic design and have recognized it as a chance – one of the most prominent ones being Werner Aisslinger from Berlin. He has been experimenting with new materials and sustainable production methods for years.