Skystation ʻo Ka Noho Kiʻi Kiʻi by Peter Newman

Skystation ʻo Ka Noho Kiʻi Kiʻi by Peter Newman is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2023 A' Design Award Kala in Hoʻolālā Lako Alanui Competition Category.

KalaLako Alanui· 2023

Skystation ʻo Ka Noho Kiʻi Kiʻi

by Peter Newman

Client: Peter Newman Studio

A' Design Award Kala Winner in Lako Alanui Category

745,433

Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #149050

View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Skystation ʻo Ka Noho Kiʻi Kiʻi

ʻO Skystation kahi kiʻi kiʻi pāʻani e hāʻawi pū ana i kahi noho lehulehu. Hoʻolālā ʻia nā ʻāpana o ka hana e kūpono i ke ʻano o ke kanaka e moe ana a paipai i ka noʻonoʻo ʻana i ka lewa. ʻO ka noho ʻana e like me ka NASA i kapa ʻia ʻo Neutral Body Posture, ʻo ia ke ʻano o ke kino e hoʻi ai i ka wā kaʻawale mai ka mana o ka gravity. Hoʻokumu ʻo Skystation i kahi manawa no ka hoʻomaha, ka noʻonoʻo a me ka launa pū ʻana i loko o ke aupuni lehulehu. Hoʻoulu ʻia ia e ka manaʻo modernist o ka form follows function. Loaʻa iā ia ka hopena o ke kamaʻilio ʻana ma waena o nā malihini.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Kala

Ua lanakila ka hoʻolālā Skystation ʻo Ka Noho Kiʻi Kiʻi i ka A' Design Award Kala, he ʻike hoʻohanohano nui loa i hāʻawi ʻia i nā hoʻolālā kiʻekiʻe loa, nani a kupaianaha. He mau hana ʻālohilohi loa a hana noʻeau nui nā lanakila Kala e hōʻike ana i ka loea, ka makakoho a me ka ʻoi aku o ka noʻonoʻo o kā lākou poʻe hoʻolālā. Manaʻo ʻia ʻo ka hoʻolālā Skystation ʻo Ka Noho Kiʻi Kiʻi he hana kupaianaha, kūlana ʻoi aku, ʻoihana kiʻekiʻe a hou loa. ʻO kēia hoʻolālā i lanakila i ka A' Design Award Kala he mea hoʻokumu kūpono loa, mahalo ʻia e hāʻawi i ka pōmaikaʻi a hoʻoneʻe i nā palena o ka hana noʻeau, ka ʻepekema, ka hoʻolālā a me ka ʻenehana. He mea i ʻeleu ʻia e nā mea he nui ka hoʻolālā Skystation ʻo Ka Noho Kiʻi Kiʻi e hoʻāla i ka makemake, lawe mai i nā manaʻo maikaʻi a hoʻāla i ka kamahaʻo a me ka mahalo.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

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

Unique Properties: Skystation is an interactive sculpture that also provides some public seating. The contours of the work are designed to fit the reclining human form and encourage contemplation of the sky.
The seating it provides is similar to what NASA calls Neutral Body Posture, which is the shape the body returns to when free from the influence of gravity. Skystation creates an opportunity for pause, reflection and interaction within the public realm. Conversations between strangers are almost inevitable.
Dimensions & Packaging: 4100mm x 4100mm x 675mm
Tags: Skystation, sculpture, bench, public art, installation, seating
Production Technology: Cast aluminium bronze, brushed satin finish.
Six segments were sand cast and precision cut, to align together on a stainless steel sub-structure. Assembled together on site.
Design Challenge: To realise the design as a permanent installation required production in a material that would last a long time and was in keeping with the aesthetic of the work.
Aluminium bronze is a material used in the marine environment due to its resistance to corrosion and seems fitting in redeveloped wharf of London.
A golden disk also has a symbolic association with the sun and the sky going back to antiquity.
The colour introduces a warm tone among the cool steel that characterises the district.
Research: Real world research was done with life size seating profiles, tested by a large number of volunteers, to be as comfortable as possible to a wide range of people lying down.
The chosen profile was then spun through 360 degrees and refined into a sculpture form.
Fibreglass prototypes of the finished sculpture were installed in various public locations. This has shown the positive impact of introducing an interactive sculpture into the pubic realm. It appeals to all ages and serves as a place-making element and encourages social interaction.
Inspiration: Inspired by the LC4 chaise-longue, by Le Corbusier, Perriand and Jeanneret and the modernist idea of form follows function.
Looking upwards is inherently optimistic, and something akin to thinking about the future. Cognitive research suggests we do our best thinking lying down.
Project Duration: Permanent installation at Canary Wharf, London.
Operation Flow: The sculpture can be used for sitting and lying down by up to 12 people. Although designed with adults in mind, children find the most inventive ways to interact with the shape.
Image Credits: Image #1: Photographer Peter Newman, Skystation 2022
Image #2: Photographer Peter Newman, Skystation 2022
Image #3: Photographer Peter Newman, Skystation 2022
Image #4: Photographer Peter Newman, Skystation 2022
Image #5: Photographer Google Landsat / Copernicus, Canary Wharf 2022