Gu

“Gu” is Ma Yansong’s contemporary interpretation of the traditional wooden armchair. Drawing reference from skeletal structures (“gu” translates to “bones” in Chinese), the design’s joints create a network of sinuous forms – similar to that of connective fibrous tissue. Thus, each surface of the chair fuses into one another, forming elegant seams that mutate from something natural into something more futuristic, making it seem more like a growing organism than a chair. The strong directionality of the chair’s heavy wood grain follows its smooth curves, further emphasizing its sculptural and organic silhouette that forms the most original contours of the human body.