Eeros Lees

• Incarnation of the Excavation Layer. On Positions Between Standing and Lying
• Tutor: Gregor Taul, MA; Jüri Kermik, PhD

This master’s thesis draws attention to sitting as an activity with a range of positions between standing and lying. The work is based on the understanding that a chair is primarily an extension of the body, and the surrounding environment and design must support a person’s freedom of choice and decision, both in movement and in changing positions. The main focus is on my personal concept development, which is an intertwined story of six actions. The starting point is the body as our first technical tool for initiating and carrying out a process, and directly experiencing the end result.

The six actions are divided into three spade- and spoonfuls:

I SPADEFUL is the first excavation of my journey in Heimtali, where the working method unfolds through physical effort. In addition, I am looking for an answer to the question – How to sit on the ground without the feeling of sitting on the ground?

II SPADEFUL is an excavation carried out in Audru, based on the principle that the best position is always the next one. At the end of this phase, I realize that the negative form resulting from the digging and refilling the cavity creates an opportunity to make a positive form through soil-casting method.

I SPOONFUL is the first experiment of the material with the soil-casting method, where I try to create an object by pouring pine resin.

II SPOONFUL is a further development of the first material experiment, which results in a new material that becomes an important part of my final design.

III SPADEFUL is an excavation with snow during the fieldworks in Vilsandi, which deals with the topics of time, temporality and the beauty of being.

III SPOONFUL is the culmination of all the previous actions, resulting in a design that presents the seating furniture as a tool that can be cast, remelted and recast according to the user’s position preferences and purpose.