Zaha Hadid’s Kuki Chair Looks Like a Warped Vinyl Record
Zaha Hadid’s Kuki Chair looks a little like a warped vinyl record somebody left in a hot car too long, and it’s definitely reminiscent of Hadid’s architectural work: at once minimal and complex, rational but curved. The chair is made of a single indigo-colored sheet of round plastic, elegantly bent in the middle to arch around itself.
“Kuki is a playful, sculptural volume generated from a single surface that follows simple rhythms, curvatures and folds,” says Zaha Hadid. “Scorings and slices have been introduced to amplify the dynamism within the geometry of the design.”
The design flows from a set of simple creases made in the constituent disc shape – two bends backward to form the base and structural support behind the chair, then a single crease to create the seat and backrest.
Ridges running around the original circle are likewise deformed, providing another level of detail and reinforcing the visual curvature of the main frame. The plasticity of the piece makes it also feel somehow more dynamic and impermanent.
Created for Sawaya & Moroni, the chair was featured this year in Milan and follows other creatively-distorted works of furniture previously made for the same company.
About Zaha Hadid Architects
“Based in London for 40 years, ZHA has redefined architecture for the 21st century with a repertoire of projects that have captured imaginations across the globe. Form and space are woven within the structure of buildings that evolve from their surroundings and tie disparate programs together. Enticingly contextual, each project combines an unwavering optimism for the future with concepts of connectivity and integration.”
“Receiving the highest honors from civic, professional and academic institutions worldwide, ZHA is one of the world’s most consistently inventive architectural studios – and has been for four decades. These 40 years of research are inscribed within every design. ZHA’s architecture is defined by its democratic attitude, offering generous, articulated public spaces inside and out.”
