Architect Daniel Libeskind has unveiled Spirit House Chair, his first commercial furniture design.
The stainless steel chair has been created for the interior of his extension to the Royal Ontario Museum, which opens next month.
Nineteen of the 180lb chairs will be placed within the new wing, which is called the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal.
A further limited edition series of the chairs will be produced and sold by Toronto furniture company Klaus Nienkämper.
Libeskind's extension to the museum opens on 2 June.
Below is a statement from Libeskind and a description of the chair:
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As with virtually all of my designs, the creation of the Spirit House Chair was influenced by its surroundings. In this case, the new Lee-Chin Crystal’s exterior and the interlocking, self-supporting structures, which are reminiscent of crystals.
The intersection of two of these crystals creates a void at the heart of the building - the Spirit House. The Spirit House is a place to reflect and to experience; I am hopeful that the Spirit House Chair will evoke similarly thoughtful emotions.
Daniel Libeskind
May 9, 2007
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Spirit House Chair
In addition to carrying out the renovations to the existing buildings of the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) and designing the new Crystal, Studio Daniel Libeskind, working with the nienkämper furniture company, has designed a chair for the newly constructed Spirit House in the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal.
The chair, which is constructed from 14 gauge (.075" thick) stainless steel, weighs 180 pounds, stands 35.5" tall and is 46.5" wide. The finish is brushed with hand polished seams. Each Spirit House Chair takes approximately 40 hours to complete and has an engraved signature from Daniel Libeskind on the top. To date, a total of 21 chairs have been made; 19 will be housed at the ROM.
Essentially a large atrium rising from below ground level to the fourth floor, and containing a number of criss-crossing bridges at various levels, the Spirit House is intended to be a place for visitors to reflect upon the exhibitions they have experienced in one of the gallery spaces before moving on to the next.
The Spirit House Chair is the first piece of commercial furniture designed by Daniel Libeskind. The museum gift shops will take orders for the chair, which is priced at $12,000.