Extruded Dog Bench
December 19th, 2006
Whippets are adorable, trusting dogs, easily housebroken and perfect for racing; they are not, sadly, to be used as furniture. Thankfully, Paris-based Radi Designers has solved this problem by creating three (!) different variations of the Whippet Bench, an extruded dog profile made of resin. According to the designers (and my broken French) the bench evokes the image of the dog’s movement. I didn’t know whippets moved laterally, but whatever.
But why stop at whippets! I can see a whole apartment now, with Great Dane couches, Pekinese footrests, and Labrador tables. Maybe vertical dachshunds as lamps?
Biophilia, man’s innate love of nature, continues to push design in strange, whimsical, wonderful directions. Cow bookcases? Dog benches? Why not?
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December 19th, 2006 at 10:57 pm
At GreenBuild 2006 in Denver, I had the fortune of meeting with Yale professor, Steven Kellert, who authored some books on biophilia, and others at a biophila workshop.
While I think it’s great to push design in different directions, I think it’s a stretch to call this example biophilia.
True, while it does use an element of ‘nature’ in design, I think the intent to actually genuinely connect with nature is lacking. Surely, this is subjective, but I feel that panoramic views and even “architecture as danger” are better examples of biophilia.
...you’re probably wondering “dangerous architecture?” Well, an example I’ve heard of this is the 2nd story glass floor panel (a large glass compass) installed at some REI stores elicit mild, yet stimulating “fear” and sense of danger that is actually a principal of biophilia. It brings a certain dynamism back into our lives otherwise safe and arguably rather drab lives. It’s argued that this element is a controlled way to mimic the primordial fear we humans used to face when we were chased by saber-toothed tigers and other terrifying predators. ...perhaps this is why some people like a good scary movie to get the heart rate going every now and again…