Edward Pine Stevens
6×6 watchman’s chair, 2008
reclaimed Douglas Fir, salvaged all-thread and steel hardware
6×6 watchman’s chair is based on a traditional African design composed of two wide boards of wood. This traditional form makes efficient use of two simple components to produce a loose-fitting, three-legged assembly, resembling an x-shape in profile. The design features two intersecting boards of wood whereby the maker cuts a horizontal slot through the primary board, which forms the back. The second board is cut into a paddle-like shape such that the paddle is the seat and the handle is a narrow strip of wood that forms one of the legs. This narrow leg slips through the slot at the center of the main board creating the rear support for the chair. The back and seat of these chairs (also referred to as a “chief’s chair”) often display intricate carvings, and while the overall appearance of these works can vary widely the structural relationship of the parts is easily recognizable.
The genius of this configuration is that the structural integrity of the chair does not depend on sacrificing the independence or individual character of the two constituent boards of wood. They remain sculptural objects in and of themselves while combining to create a functional whole. Moreover, since the parts can be separated the chair is not an awkward amalgam of wood, and it escapes the fragility that is inherent to fixed (glued) wood joinery. This type of chair—like other traditional modes of furniture—offers an illustration of an object that is meant to embrace, rather than resist, change over time. The design of the traditional watchman’s chair has been a constant point of departure for me in thinking about functional objects.
I make objects that can be disassembled. Instead of fusing or adhering one part to another I prefer to fasten or interlock the various elements that form my work. Such combinations of parts can be broken down to facilitate mobility, adaptation, repair, and future reuse. Like many time-tested pre-industrial forms the traditional watchman’s chair embodies my priorities of flexibility, but being composed of wide boards of hardwood, it is not easily replicated with salvaged or reclaimed wood.
My interpretation of this chair is shaped by a desire to use a fairly common salvaged material—namely construction-grade Doug Fir—and to create a piece that retains the character of the wood from its previous use. 6×6 watchman’s chair is made with 6” x 6” Douglas Fir beams salvaged from a pergola that was deconstructed in Pasadena. The beams are held together with threaded rod salvaged from a studio lot dumpster. The architectural detail carried over from the ends of the pergola lend the chair a light footing; and as an added benefit the rounded beams create a curved point of contact just in front of the user’s center of gravity allowing for a delicate balancing act on the font legs that belies the mass of the chair. Since the intended seating position is fully stable this activity is optional, although, as with a traditional watchman’s chair, one must take care not to sit at the immediate front edge.
The traditional watchman’s chair requires a bit more attention and care from the user than the average four-legged Western chair, as it is stable but not impervious to tipping. While the mass the of the 6×6 watchman’s chair prevents it from tipping back to one side (which is the conventional hazard) the curved contact point invites an unexpected forward rocking motion that injects a bit of agency into the usually passive act of sitting. However, this amusement is not without a certain mild risk of tipping forward (surprising but not dangerous) as the user finds his or her balance in a manner reminiscent (but here reversed) of leaning back at one’s desk in the classroom. As with many elements of the contemporary built environment chairs are generally viewed as static fixtures that should cater to unskilled users. Even the act of sitting can be deskilled.
