Designer Porky Hefer has
created a series of oversized bean bags and hanging chairs to resemble
different animals under threat in the wild.
The Endangered seating
collection includes an orangutan, a pygmy sloth, a polar bear, a great white
shark and a blue whale – all of which are listed as vulnerable or endangered by
the World Wildlife Fund.
The range was commissioned by
art consultants SFA Advisory for the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, which
seeks to safeguard animals in their natural habitats, and debuted at this
year's Design Miami/Basel fair.
Visitors were encouraged to sit
on, and interact with, the seats in attempt to "ignite a sense of empathy
[for] the stories of the real animals' hardships and the importance of their
survival".
Each piece has also been made
using sustainable materials, which both Hefer and the foundation hope will
start a wider conversation about the impact humans have on the environment.
Polyester made from recycled
plastic bottles was used to stuff the polar bear and orangutan bean bags, the
latter of which is covered in brown and orange woollen tassels.
The whale-shaped hanging chair,
which is finished with white-fringe teeth and blue patchwork skin, has also
been knitted with reused t-shirts. The same material was used for the sloth,
which is suspended from a corduroy and steel frame intended to resemble a tree
branch.
"It's the future of the
next generation that I am concerned about and the state of the world they
inherit," said Hefer in a statement. "Looking after our animals and
earth is one thing, but also the preservation of human skills, crafts and
traditions."
"I think it's important to
show what beauty humans are capable of with their hands rather than the
destructive mass production that technology is driving the modern consumerist
society towards," he added.
To complete each piece, Hefer
collaborated with artisans from his native South Africa, working particularly
closely with Cape town-based textile artist Ronel Jordaan and craft collectives
Heart Works and Mielie on different crocheting, felting and stitching
techniques.
Last year, Hefer employed
woven plant stalks to create huge nest-like seating nooksthat could be used for
relaxing or sleeping. For Design Miami 2015 the designer also crafted a
killer whale-shaped hanging chair that featured leather teeth and a pink
velvet tongue.
The latest edition of Design
Miami/Basel took place at the Messe Basel exhibition centre in the Swiss
city from 12 to 17 June 2018.
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