the 'broken chair' by damir krdžović + rebecca norberg finds purpose in imperfection

swedish designer rebecca norberg and serbian designer damir krdžović have collaborated to produce the ‘broken chair’, a seat whose irregular form is a symbolic reinterpretation of a broken leg, or branch. despite its technical imperfection, the chair serves its purpose with ease, speaking to a methodology of design the duo say is vital to the future of the field. 

the seat’s irregular form is a symbolic reinterpretation of a broken leg, or branch

‘the presence of a ‘glocal’ design interest, that is to say using local situations as a gateway to the global context, is now a fact,’ say norberg and krdžović. ‘as designers we need to be smarter and more skilled but we also need to take a step back and observe natural tendencies, random occurrences and learn from the ever evolving transformation constantly taking place around us.’ raw in its expression of form, the chair stands in opposition to the archetypes of design. despite being ‘broken’, it remains functional — and can still be considered beautiful. 

despite its technical imperfection, the chair serves its purpose with ease

‘design, like art, should always be considered contextually and as a reference of something else, something greater’, explain the duo. ‘it is not only about aesthetics; such as attractiveness of a form where the response of the observer is entirely focused on the immediate impression of an object. beauty comes from the reflective quality of a design. it is hidden under the surface, but not in a mystical way. it comes from a conscious reading and experience.’ 

raw in its expression of form, the chair stands in opposition to the archetypes of design

in order to effectively demonstrate this, the chair is photographed in the context of two contrasting environments. the first is a pakistani pizzeria in copenhagen designed by its owners. blurring the lines between formality and function, the pizzeria is unashamedly practical. it stands in stark contrast to clean, minimal lines of the chair and shines a spotlight on its base function. 

despite being ‘broken’, it remains functional — and can still be considered beautiful

the second location is old public bath house in denmark. the light wood and marine blue details of the chair compliment the practical nature of the tiles and the familiar, yet exotic aquatic colors of the pool. in both contexts, the architecture provides a contemporary ‘glocal’ context for the design and enhances the character of the chair; making it tangible not as a design object but as a prop to everyday situations — for anyone and any place.

‘design, like art, should always be considered contextually and as a reference of something else, something greater’

‘what we want to see more of is design that is approachable. design that is not only functional, aesthetically pleasing or intellectually stimulating but that exposes the core complexity of everyday life and is suggestive or even instructive of a desired societal change. the change we are seeking is to locate design not in the homes of the academics but on the streets, in our public institutions and in the greasy corners of the neighborhood kiosk. we want to recognize the beauty in the overlooked, homemade and neglected, or as in this case, in the broken. because let us be honest: we are tired of being sophisticated, tamed and clean. we just want to be ourselves without having to be alone’. 

the duo photograph the chair in the context of two contrasting environments

the detail of the ‘broken’ chair that expresses its character

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: peter corboy | designboom