Kyoto Radio Flame April 2001
Rippled sycamore, rippled ash, oak
H 1550mm W 680mm D 560mm
The "Kyoto Radio Flame" chair is similar in its structure to previous "Teller" pattern chairs whereby the rear panel is joined through the seat area and held fast with a large tapered wedge. This concept of joining is derived from the Traditional Welsh back stool or spinning stool.
When I first began chair making I created numerous interpretations of these stools, however they always lacked real comfort and support for the spine. They were after all a very utilitarian item and to that end served their purpose well. One advantage of these stools, however, was their unrestricted capacity for shoulder and arm movement, hence why spinners adopted them.
I wanted to use this approach of construction, retaining an element of a known and trusted seat and develop something new, something that was comfortable to sit upon yet yielded a visually striking dynamic in a larger more audacious form. I brought together concepts from my twin post chair designs such as "Excelsior", whereby the back is supported either side of spine and created the asymmetric cutaway to allow the spine and the posterior of the sitter to be recessed within the curvature of the back support.
This particular chair was created over a long period. The initial concept was instigated and the seat and back panel forms were roughly shaped. However it was then put to one side for some time whilst other seating projects required attention and completion. On return to the Kyoto project with a healthy space for reflection, new ideas were implemented within the design to allow it to fully maximise the aesthetic potential within the bodily form. A strong, yet simple design construction that uses a subtle curvaceous line, combined with the inner beauty of the rippled sycamore. The beautifully, rich natural pattern of the grain of the wood produces an elegant sculpted chair form with a powerful presence and an extra lustre of light refracting depth.
