¡slouch! by nadine samaha from australia

"DON’T SLOUCH!" Did you ever hear that as a teenager? Most likely from your parents or teacher, instructing you to sit in a nice, straight, right-angled position. Good for the posture they said, but any query as to the reason of this request would be met with a sharp, “don’t answer back!” Did they ever think that you were expressing something? Body language is a revealing form of communication, and one that’s difficult to conceal.

¡Slouch! is, in this sense, a microphone for that language being emitted, a combination of chair, bed, hammock and tent, as the name suggests, it can be used in a variety of ways. At the most basic level it is a platform 400mm off the floor that one can sit upon, to tie up your shoelaces or surf the web. But one can recede deeper, lying horizontally to enter a playlist, striking the lotus position to meditate, or curling up for a siesta. The fabric lining relates to the curves of the human body, so that whatever position is assumed ¡Slouch! bends to accommodate. The three ‘walls’ provide enclosure, privacy, a small space within an infinite universe in which one can call their own.

The teenager’s inner conviction of ‘knowing it all’ can be put to good use, as ¡Slouch! comes as a twenty piece kit of parts for self assembly. Included is the steel frame, available in a range of lengths to create further possibilities of size and enclosure. The fabric lining can be customised in material and graphic options, and adjusted on the frame to accommodate growth spurts. It is apparent that one leaves home at the end of their teenage years, and ¡Slouch! can be disassembled in minutes to be stored requiring minimal space, or transported for further use ;)