Swing Ao Tabouret by Takusei Kajitani is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2022 A' Design Award d'Argent in Design de Mobilier Competition Category.

ArgentMobilier· 2022

Swing Ao Tabouret

by Takusei Kajitani

Client: Consentable

A' Design Award d'Argent Winner in Mobilier Category

31,710

Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #135261

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The Design

About Swing Ao Tabouret

La plupart des chaises conventionnelles sont conçues sur la base de l'idée que la position assise est un état statique, même si le corps humain est conçu pour bouger. Swing Ao a une structure de tension qui permet au siège de se déplacer librement en conjonction avec le mouvement du bassin de la personne assise. Cela favorise une sensation de flottement et le mouvement du bassin, de la colonne vertébrale et des muscles environnants, activant les fonctions du corps comme si vous jouiez sur une petite balançoire. De plus, il peut être utilisé comme tabouret fixe avec une surface d'assise inclinée à 8 degrés pour maintenir une posture saine avec une colonne vertébrale allongée.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award d'Argent

Swing Ao Tabouret est lauréat de l'A' Design Award d'Argent, une reconnaissance énormément prestigieuse décernée à des designs haut de gamme, superbes et impressionnants. Les lauréats Argent sont des œuvres tout à fait brillantes et extrêmement créatives qui illustrent l'expertise, le talent et la perspicacité remarquables de leurs concepteurs. Swing Ao Tabouret est censé être une œuvre merveilleuse, une vitrine de savoir-faire, remarquablement professionnelle et profondément innovante. Ce design lauréat de l'A' Design Award d'Argent est une invention très notable et admirée, qui sert l'art, la science, le design et la technologie et en repousse les limites. Swing Ao Tabouret est une création très enviée qui éveille les désirs, apporte des sentiments positifs et suscite émerveillement et étonnement.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Swing is designed with a tension structure that allows the seat to move freely in conjunction with the movement of the sitter's pelvis. As a result, you can enjoy a floating sensation, and it promotes the movement of the pelvis, spine, and surrounding muscles, thereby activating your body's functions like playing on a small swing. And you can also sit on it as a regular stool with an 8-degree angle seat to maintain a healthy posture that prevents hunching over.
Dimensions & Packaging: Diameter 300mm x Height 450mm, made of solid black cherry wood with indigo-dyed finish collaborated with Ao team in Tokyo. The suspension material is 3mm rope for dinghy. The seat is upholstered with artificial leather over 60mm thick urethane cushion.
Tags: Athlete, Health, Body balance, Stool, Chair, Swing, Dynamic, Tensegrity, Tension
Production Technology: Swing consists of an upper seat structure, a lower leg structure, and a suspension material that connects both of them. A plurality of suspension materials connected to the leg structure suspend a rod extending downward from the seat structure. The rod of the seat structure passes through a hole arranged in the center of the top panel of the leg structure. The diameter of the hole in the leg structure is larger than the diameter of the rod in the seat structure, and the user can move the seat freely within the difference in diameters.
Design Challenge: First of all, I wondered if it would be possible to develop a chair that would benefit athletes and stimulate their athletic sense. And I began to study body manipulation and body structure, then became interested in the changes in body structure during the process of human evolution, or the functional significance of the missing tail. At that time, I realized that the sense of balance in the body is very important for athletes. And the image of Swing was coming to me.
Research: I referred to The Alexander Technique For Musicians by Peter Buckoke for information on how to use the human body. In particular, I focused on the importance of the sense of balance that we unconsciously have.
For the design of the suspension structure, I took a hint from Tensegrity by Buckminster Fuller.
Inspiration: The most chair have been designed on the idea that sitting is a static movement despite the human body is designed to move. It forces our body to stay rigid for a long time, accelerating our body's dis-activation. Swing is designed for solving this problem with a tension structure that allows the seat to move freely in conjunction with the movement of the sitter's pelvis like a small swing. You can enjoy a floating sensation with activating your body's functions with this stool.
Project Duration: Swing project started as The Chair for Athlete project in Tokyo in April 2021, and the initial model of Swing was completed in November 2021.
Operation Flow: This is a stool that can be used in two sitting modes: dynamic and static.When sitting dynamically, you sit in such a way that the rod extending under the seat touches the hole for penetration in the base parts as little as possible, and move your pelvis, hip joints, and spine to enjoy the swing of the seat. Enjoy dynamic sitting when you want to sit back or change your mind.When sitting statically, sit leaning forward so that the rod extending under the seat touches the hole. You can sit in a straight posture because the seat is fixed at an angle of about 8 degrees.
Patents: Design registration pending. Takusei Kajitani. Certificate of Design Registration, Japan Patent Office.
Team Members: Ao Designer: Yoh Miyachi
Craftsman: Ryosuke Tanaka
Image Credits: Image #1-5: Photographer Yoko Inoue, Variations, 2022.