Dec 1, 2026
LOT-EK lectures at RIT Vignelli Center, Rochester
a chair for Barbie in the 90ies - she enters technology with her new small TV
1996
Design the Perfect Chair for Barbie Competition / Metropolis magazine + Vitra Design Museum
Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein, Germany
concept & vision
we imagine that the perfect chair for Barbie in the 90ies needs to introduce her to the world of communication technology - Barbie sits on an old TV antenna that operates as the actual antenna for a small, bare, portable TV extracted from a 'watchman' (remember those? they came after the walkman but did not have the same luck and diffusions - precursors of our smart phones as they might have been!)
program & use
the TV antenna is pulled open to a 90 degree angle and rotated to a comfortable slant in order to hold the seat in a lounging position. It supports a small sign with a rubber pillow for her body. A bare monitor is affixed to the retractable portion of the antenna which allows one to adjust its distance from the viewer's body. The revolving movement around the antenna's base combines the primary function of intercepting signals with the rotation of the chair itself
impact & significance
Barbie sits. Rotates her chair. Points it towards a desired information/entertainment source. Retrieves images on the monitor in front of her. Pulls it towards her when it gets interesting. Barbie in the 90s brings her plastic, ageless smoothness in contrast with the precarious and transient reality of the contemporary urban environment
Dec 1, 2026
LOT-EK lectures at RIT Vignelli Center, Rochester
Nov 16, 2026
LOT-EK lectures at Jefferson University CADE, Philadelphia
Oct 10, 2026
The Black SchoolHouse opens!
Jul 7, 2026
LOT-EK on Wallpaper* US400 list
Apr 6, 2026
LOT-EK and Carroll House on PIN-UP 40