the
PARADOX

of
comfort

My analysis of the phenomenon of comfort led me to a paradox.

Attaining comfort gives pleasure,

however, staying in the comfortable causes stagnation and, as a result, regression.

The culmination of my deliberations about the dangers of excess comfort

is a design in Critical Design. Its purpose is to stir discourse and evoke emotions.

Its form creates an opportunity to feel discomfort, both physical and mental.

An object that strongly refers to the canon of a dining chair appears to be ordinary from a distance.

However, the detail in the form of elements not parallel to the ground is surprising,

attracts attention to encourage interaction with the recipient.

When in contact with a person, the chair disturbs mental balance (through cognitive dissonance)

and physical balance (due to its impact on extended hapticity).

The chair creates an opportunity to practice voluntary discomfort,

which is crucial to the proper functioning of the human body in the modern world.

The master's diploma was created at the 1st Furniture Design Studio under the supervision of Dr. Dorota Januszek and dr hab. Jacek Mikołajczak.

The work was exhibited as part of the exhibition Komfort, der nichts wegnimmt (Comfort That Takes Nothing Away) at the Goethe-Institut in Warsaw

The exhibition was part of the research and art series Laboratory for the Study of Happiness,

as part of the project Life after Comfort, initiated by the Foundation Bęc Zmiana.

The project was presented in Dobroteka in Dobrodzień,

as part of the Present Perfect exhibition organised in collaboration with the University of Arts in Poznan.

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