LOT-EK
BARBIE chair

a chair for Barbie in the 90ies - she enters technology with her new small TV

type
completed

1996

competition entry

Design the Perfect Chair for Barbie Competition / Metropolis magazine + Vitra Design Museum

commissioned and exhibited

Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein, Germany

awards

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

LOT-EK lectures at RIT Vignelli Center, Rochester

Nov 16, 2026

LOT-EK lectures at Jefferson University CADE, Philadelphia

LOT-EK lectures at Jefferson University CADE, Philadelphia

Oct 10, 2026

The Black SchoolHouse opens!

The Black SchoolHouse opens!

Jul 7, 2026

LOT-EK on Wallpaper* US400 list

LOT-EK on Wallpaper* US400 list

Apr 6, 2026

LOT-EK and Carroll House on PIN-UP 40

LOT-EK and Carroll House on PIN-UP 40