Privacy and distance keeping is now a norm in pandemic hit times. This wearable furniture designed by Yang Zhao is a bold solution. You can use it in public areas or even at home alone to be cozy!
This soft, versatile, privacy-granting furniture is an odd-looking origami-inspired contraption called ‘SharkMan.’ In it, you can be utterly alone in crowded places like the mall or a park. The Brainwaves exhibition selected it to be a part of the London Design Festival in 2016.
Zhao is a young graduate from Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design and Asia Academy of Arts. She said in an interview that the inspiration for combining clothing and furniture came when collaborating with a furniture company.
She said:
In this graduate project, we worked with British furniture design brand Hitch Mylius as our client, and the theme is “private space.” My tutor Magnus Long taught us not to limit ourselves to traditional furniture but to try many design forms. I had quite a few thoughts back then; one of them is making a piece of wearable furniture like clothes to create a private space. I was about to give up and turn to a more conservative design when my tutor and the client both think this idea has many potentials. So I got a large piece of foam to experiment with, trying to make the “soft furniture.”
That was the first time I ever played with clothing design. Blending different design categories will bring the world more potentialities, which a designer should do. A designer needs to break the rules and boundaries, making the impossible to become possibilities for a better world.
The deformable furniture can transform into several different configurations – each centered on your “me space” requirements for when things get too distracting. You can use it while sitting, standing, or even lying down. When you’re not using it, you can zip it up and carry it.
The various ways to make use of SharkMan include:
- Sit back and work.
- Isolate yourself from the world.
- Fresh atmosphere mode.
- Can’t you find an accepted destination to sit? Not an issue.
- Take a nap.
- The design also functions as a carrier bag to put your belongings in when going from one destination to another.
Zhao explained the process of developing SharkMan in the interview:
I bought a piece of giant foam, and the inspiration hit me one night, so I wrapped myself with the foam. For a few days, whenever I got some new ideas, I would crawl into the foam and try out solutions. At first, it was a simple cylinder, and the function is mainly for study. I have done some research on library users. Then I thought, what if people want to rest after they study? I added a zipper to the inside of the structure so the users can create a private space by zipping it up. I also tested different thicknesses of foam, making sure there is enough working space inside while keeping it lightweight.
The concept of wearable furniture is very nice for most people. However, it may not be recommended for claustrophobic people as they might get a bit too encapsulated for their comfort.
Another interesting piece of multi-purpose furniture is this bench that doubles a cat’s playground.
