Sitting is one of our frequent daily activities. While a chair is representative of a person sitting, the design of the object-human relationship can deliver many different types of seating experiences. This project proposes the question: can a flexible tessellated surface prove useful in supporting the body and respond to a person’s posture to deliver a comfortable seating experience?

The Shape of Gravity seeks to deliver a seating experience that is flexible and shaped by the weight of the user’s body. It explores the idea of a seat incorporating an interactive or animated surface by way of its structure for an enhanced seating experience. This investigation has led to research and exploration in the application of tessellated geometries and various material substrates for a seating surface. As demonstrated in the experiments and design work of Buckminister Fuller, tessellated geometries are extremely adaptive. Developing, trialling and proving tessellated surfaces in cardboard, plywood, rubber and cork sheeting led to a new material composite for a seating typology. Crossed between a hammock and a chaise lounge, this seating design is intended to be adaptive and responsive to a person’s posture and weight to maximise comfort and flexibility.