A philosophical journey through
the world of seating

We are producing a film that delves into the philosophical and design aspects 
of chairs

The documentary will feature interviews with contemporary theorists and practitioners who will share their insights on the concept of a chair

What's our goal?

We aim to explore how chairs reflect our interaction with the world and how they shape our perception of it. 

Our discussions will cover both the philosophical and practical aspects of chairs, engaging with philosophers who contemplate the nature of reality, as well as designers who create objects that shape our environment

We will also showcase some of the most iconic chairs ever created, such as

Our hope

Through these examples, we hope to uncover what makes these chairs so special and why designing the perfect chair is a dream for many designers

Many philosophers addressed the chair in their works, and the chair metaphor is commonly employed to illustrate various concepts

These range from the ontological nature of objects and how humans interact with the world, to the creation of values by the human mind and even the formation of the world itself. We will explore these ideas in depth. 

Martin Heidegger

Heidegger's central argument is that the chair, as a work of art, reveals the "truth" of the world in two ways

1

It reveals the "truth" of the world as a set of equipment, or things that are used to accomplish a task

2

It reveals the "truth" of the world as a place where human beings dwell

Heidegger believes that the chair, as a work of art, reveals the way that things are in the world and the way that human beings interact with the world

Jean-Paul Sartre in his Being and Nothingness uses the example of a chair to illustrate the idea of "being-for-itself" and "being-in-itself" where the chair is an object that exists independently of the subject, while the subject exist independently of the chair.

Jean-Paul Sartre

In The Republic, Plato uses the metaphor of a "divine craftsman" or demiurge to make the world

He compares this craftsman to 
a carpenter, who makes a bed 
or a chair which are a copy 
of eternal forms in the world 
of forms

Friedrich Nietzsche

Friedrich Nietzsche uses the metaphor of a "chair" in Thus Spoke Zarathustra,

Where he talks about how the human mind creates values and how these values are like chairs that we sit on. He argues that these values are created by the human mind and are not inherent in the world

We will find a way to discuss it all.

The film will be available for viewing in 2024

Join us on this journey as we unravel the fascinating world of chairs!

Concept author and producer
— Natasha Klimchuk

Together with co-producer Olga Morozova, Natasha has created three documentaries about design that have been shown in numerous countries

With a philosophical degree under her belt, Natasha is also a co-founder of the illustration agency Bang! Bang!, design studio Lunatum and magazine Lunatum Mag.

She has conducted around 200 interviews with famous Russian artists and designers and built the cult online design school in Russia BBE. 

Previous films:

Lepota

Documentary about Russian aesthetic

33 words about design 
in Russia

Documentary about Russian identity

100 years of design

Documentary about history 
of design