We speak to furniture designer Kirsi Enkovaara on her innovative chair design, The Body
Kirsi Enkovaara graduated this year from the Royal College of Art, and has already garnered interest for her innovative flexible seating structure, titled The Body. Designed to encourage us to re-evaluate how we sit, it is constructed from a six-metre piece of fabric filled with rice, which bends into a series of flexible shapes. “The rice makes the structure really strong, so it can be reshaped continuously,” she explains. “I want the user to be the creator for this seat — I just created the guidelines.” Born in Helsinki, Finland — “the land of one thousand lakes” — Enkovaara now lives in East London. We caught up with her to hear more about her chair design, her inspirations and Finnish architecture.
How would you describe your work?
My designs border on real and imagination. They usually answer the question What If? What if we could sit as we like? What if every object we own could be decomposable? What if we could create our own objects? I like people to be able to have a conversation with my designs, whether it be through interaction or the association that it brings. I love soft furniture and everything to do with colour, patterns and textures.
"I like people to be able to have a conversation with my designs, whether it be through interaction or the association that they bring" — Kirsi Enkovaara
How long did ‘The Body’ take to make?
The idea bubbled in my head for a year before I had a chance to develop it. The concept and development took half a year, experimenting to find the right materials. When I decided upon the finished product, it was very quick to make the prototype because it is designed to be easily manufactured.
Did you always think you would be a product designer?
I am not one of those kids who knew from an early age that they wanted to become an artist. As a kid I wanted to be an astronaut or an archaeologist and later on, a teacher or an actress. After high school I applied for a BA in fine art. At the time, I wanted my art to be more part of everyday life so I decided to study design.
Where do you look for inspiration?
As a student, I was very inspired by Front Design, as it is difficult to find that type of design in Finland. Their work really opened my eyes about what design could be. Nowadays I look to art to find my icons, like Richard Long, Yves Klein and Ernesto Neto, who have been very influential in my work. I am also inspired by the seasons. Finnish people live so close to nature as all of the seasons are so powerful. During winter it is very dark but in the summer the sun does not go down at all. You feel really aware of nature and its powers.
What was the last thing to inspire you?
I just visited my grandma and her life partner who is an 85-year-old inventor. He is still working passionately and innovating new, fascinating things. He told me to always believe in my own vision. That really inspired me.
Text by Mhairi Graham
