High Chair

High Chair is a tall chair placed on or near the sidewalk allowing sitters a chance to see the city from nearly above. It’s a middle vantage point, above the street, below the skyscraper, with a full view that balconies seldom offer, and still amongst the pedestrian fray. The chair is evocative of that used by a line judge at a tennis match, or a lifeguard’s chair found at the beach. It is approximately 3 meters high as measured from the ground to the seat bottom, light and sturdy to allow it to be easily moved. Integrated into the leg work is a simple ladder for ascent. The chair is wide enough to allow two people to sit comfortably and enjoy the view together.
The chair is meant to be a playful, curious object that disrupts the conventions of the bustling city sidewalk. It allows visitors to spend a moment watching pedestrians from slightly above. It’s a middle vantage point, above the street, below 1st story fire escapes. It’s unlike the view provided by Apple Tours double-decker in that it is still pedestrian, in a way, and engaged in the bustle below.
We plan on pre-fabricating most of the chair and constructing it on-site. While our plans are still preliminary, there are certain considerations that are relevant. Firstly, the chair is expected to be mobile so that it can be shuttled to various locations, or easily moved to avoid hassles with retailers or law enforcement.
(For Conflux 2008 with Pascal Wever, Rhys Newman, Raphael Grignani, Duncan Burns, Julian Bleecker. Drawings: Rhys Newman)