Why have I been so subconsciously interested in chairs during the process of
Still in Life? Unsure of how this could have gone unnoticed for so long, I have put together a little research on the history of the chair in hopes that it may shed some light on my subliminal self. Perhaps 'the chair' has been anthropomorphically ingrained to represent the following:
Chair:(n)A chair is a raised surface used to sit on, commonly for use by one person. Chairs often have the seat raised above floor level, supported by four legs.
Types of chairs:
Stool: chair without a back or armrests (when raised, it is a bar stool)
Armchair: chair with arms
Recliner: chair with folding action and a footrest
Seat: permanently fixed chair on a train or in a theater
Saddle: chair meant for riding
Wheelchair: chair with wheels
Swing: hanging chair
"The chair is of extreme antiquity and simplicity, although for many centuries and indeed for thousands of years it was an article of state and dignity rather than an article of ordinary use." [thank you, Wikipedia] Think: thrones, committee directors, academic leaders.
Chairs are often used as a symbol of power and wealth, but they can also represent institution, rigidity, strength, comfort, laziness, absence, and even death (etc). I would say that a chair could probably be fashioned to portray almost anything. Furthermore, it's not always about the physical appearance of the chair, but about how, where, or what is interacting with the chair. A chair with a piece of clothing flung over the armrest gives the viewer a completely different feeling than an empty chair.
Most of the chairs I have portrayed in my photographs are empty. Their emptiness represents the loss or absence of an inhabitant or a space worth achieving (as in "Portrait of a Throne"). Chairs provide a sort of architectural knowledge and stability within their simplicity, not to mention they are universal in their accessibility.
