Hangzhou Stool
Being made of bamboo veneers, the Hangzhou Stool is a simple compact piece of furniture that takes the advantage of the special quality of the material. The flexibility not only offers suitable comfort, but also expresses the relaxing and free atmosphere of the Hangzhou city.
“杭州凳”由多层竹皮制成，小巧而简约。它很好的利用了竹皮材料的弹性特点，既为使用 者提供了恰当的舒适感，也表达了杭州城轻松 而自由的气息。
Hangzhou lies in the middle of the east coast of China. Having been the capital city of China in Song dynasty has made the culture and tradition of the city quite different from its neighbours. Together with a beautiful lake in the city center, they all have become great touristic resources of Hangzhou. Moreover, Hangzhou is considered a city filled with the most happiness and satisfaction in China. Life in Hangzhou is quite flexible and in slow rhythm. As a designer who has grown up in Hangzhou, I considers “flexibility” a good topic for his city.
The Hangzhou Stool consists of 16 layers of bamboo veneer of the thickness of 0.9mm. Each one of the 16 bamboo veneers is different in length. They are bent in an arc shape and glued together at the last 25cm of each end. One piece of raw bamboo stick penetrates in the veneers and combines the two ends of the stool. 16 layers of bamboo veneer give a very special “arc” of the stool, just like the ripples on the water surface. When sit, the more weight the stool receives, the deeper the arc will be bent in the center, and therefore the more elasticity the user will feel.
Min Chen
March, 2013 in Hangzhou
杭州，一个被誉为中国最具幸福感的城市，因为城中美丽静溢的西湖，因为城里城外绵延群山之中回荡的佛光仙气，因为古往今来无数文人侠士倾情泼墨而散落的文化精萃，也因为杭州人世代相传的悠然和从容。身为一个土生土长的杭州人，不论我身处何种环境，心里似乎总带着一股与生俱来的安逸和浪漫。这种柔软的情绪总能引导我在作品中发展一些自然的弹性空间，这必然是“杭州凳”诞生的原因之一。身为一名设计师，材料和工艺自然是我关注和不断追求探索的对象。“杭州凳”的蓝图其实已在我脑中潜伏多年，而当在杭州一家竹业加工厂看到工业加工制成的各种厚度的竹皮，想法通往产品之路便在我眼前清晰可见了。
16张0.9毫米厚且长度各异的竹皮从两端最后25厘米处被粘合到一起。一根新鲜砍伐的直径3厘米左右的青竹穿透层层竹皮，在底部将凳子的两端连接在一起，顶部层层竹皮自然形成的拱形宛如湖面荡漾的层层波纹，宁静而赋动感。当人坐下，随着重量的增加，凳子的支撑力也逐渐增加，人所能感受到的弹性也在凳子中心层层累积。坐高因人而异，舒适感也不尽相同，而如此简单的新意和微妙的与众不同不正如杭州给予其子民的感受吗？
陈旻
2013.3 于杭州