Chairwave: Igniting Connection in Riyadh's "Light Years Apart"

Noor Riyadh 2024, under the curation of Dr. Effat Abdullah Fadag and Dr. Alfredo Cramerotti, invited visitors to explore the theme 'Light Years Apart,' a poetic concept that bridged the earthly and the celestial. Within this luminous exhibition, VOUW's Chairwave offered a compelling exploration of human connection in public space. Inspired by Gerrit Rietveld's iconic Zig-Zag chair, Chairwave transforms the act of sitting into a shared social experience. When someone takes a seat, sensors prompt the adjacent chairs to unfold, extending an invitation for others to join. This mechanism intentionally discourages social distancing. As noted by Canvas online, Chairwave exudes a 'retro game show-style hotseat energy' and evokes an almost 'anthropomorphic' quality. Within the context of a festival that explored the vast distances between the earth and the stars, Chairwave grounded the experience in the tangible realm of human interaction.

— Justus Bruns