A chair is still a chair

Still at the Living Architecture exhibit at the Ayala Museum, I was surprised to see (in an architecture exhibit) chairs that are prominently displayed. Two were by the windows, where the lighting was really good, and one had warm spotlights trained on it. I wondered, given that these chairs were treated as art pieces, were they more special than other chairs? They were given prime positions in the exhibit space, after all.

The first chair I encountered was what is known as the Calvet armchair, designed by Antoni Gaudì, Spain's most famous architect (he designed the Sagrada Família church in Barcelona). I liked how this chair looks because of the colour, the finish, and the heart-shaped back. But I wondered if it's comfortable to sit on. A chair is still a chair, after all, and if I were buying this, I had to try it to see if I could sit on it for hours.

It's a good thing that the Ayala Museum allowed people to try the chair. I sat on it, of course. And I found it to be not that comfortable. Perhaps it's because I'm used to sitting on a chair with foam on it... plus, the back is not ergonomically designed so it wasn't a good experience.

But as an art piece, I like the Calvet armchair. Definitely.

I don't remember who designed this white chair but it definitely looks pretty. And it looks comfortable to sit on. Unfortunately, it's only on display so I wasn't able to try it. What it reminds me of are the chairs being sold in Dimensione, my mom's favourite store for one-of-a-kind pieces of furniture. 

The last chair looks like it came straight from a church choir loft. Museum-goers were again allowed to try this chair. I can't remember who designed it. Whoever sits on this chair must have had a bad hour in church... I mean it absolutely doesn't have give for slouching or wiggling! It's a chair meant for people to stay awake while keeping still. 

I remember the note about this chair saying something about the design aesthetics. But for me, I don't get it. It just looks like an ordinary chair; unlike the other two which had very modern lines, this one looks like it came straight from the medieval era. I was almost afraid of sitting on it!

At the end of the day, while Luther Vandross' popular line, "A chair is still a chair...", is being sung by my ever reliable earworm on repeat, I keep in mind that these chairs probably were intended to be displayed rather than to be used as seats (for hours). More form than function. These are art pieces after all.