Jinsei Isu
2023
The Okinawan Centenarians are known for living significantly longer due to their floor-sitting culture, however, with younger generations, the custom is becoming ever more unappealing.
Jinsei Isu is a chair which allows younger followers of Okinawan culture to incorporate floor seating into their modern-day homes and lifestyle, to promote and encourage healthy living.
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Okinawan culture uses significant amounts of wood in the home and art forms. So it was important that this could be incorporated within the design.
For the crochet, it was crucial for the material to hold good tension to represent the pattern adequately.
The final prototype consisted of Black Walnut and Tulip wood, 2mm paracord, in white, burgundy and red.
The same materials would be used for a manufactured chair, all measurements and thicknesses would need to be scaled up 5:1
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For the seat detail, it was important for the crochet to resemble Okinawan/ Japanese culture and artwork. After sampling multiple crochet stitches, the large shell stitch was chosen. The pattern resembles a semi-circle shape which is present throughout everyday practices in Okinawa, including karate, house roofing structures and traditional art forms. But also represents the hand fans, a prominent object in Japanese and Asian culture. This semi circle is represented by the 7 double crochet stitches which are attached to a crochet chain incorporated throughout the whole crochet pattern.
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For the seat detail, it was important for the crochet to resemble Okinawan/ Japanese culture and artwork. After sampling multiple crochet stitches, the large shell stitch was chosen. The pattern resembles a semi-circle shape which is present throughout everyday practices in Okinawa, including karate, house roofing structures and traditional art forms. But also represents the hand fans, a prominent object in Japanese and Asian culture. This semi circle is represented by the 7 double crochet stitches which are attached to a crochet chain incorporated throughout the whole crochet pattern.
