Frei Egidio Chair.

Fabricated at the Rural Studio woodshop in collaboration with Kyra Stark, the Frei Egidio Chair is an interpretation of a design by Lina Bo Bardi. Bo Bardi’s original Frei Egidio chair was designed as an auditorium seat for the Teatro Gregorios de Mattos in 1987, and was built by Baruna Carpentry Company.

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The entire chair collapses into one plane for economic storage and transportation. Originally constructed of Arracanga wood indigenous to South America, the chair at Rural Studio is composed of white oak. Following a month of research, the fabrication process was proposed through storyboards, finalized in 1:1 scale watercolor drawings, and recorded through photographs.

A full-scale mock up was completed and tested before beginning the final chair. The work was divided between both team members, and both had a chance to work on every piece. The process began with rough lumber, and every wooden part was crafted, finished, and assembled in the Rural Studio wood shop. The Frei Egidio won the biannual Rural Studio wood-shop chair competition, which considers process, documentation, drawings, function, and finish.