In a dialectic between the psychologically prewired and the human-built, each chair represents a cognitive bias. Cognitive biases are brain’s shortcuts that condense our experience of reality, to make it clear and digestible. They are shared by the whole of humanity. They are an extension of the human that hold the power to define how one relates to another, and do so successfully.

This dungeon is an exploration of our boundaries, physical as well as psychological. The bodies are objectified, constrained to specific movement and out-of-confort positions, eventually humiliated. Chairs, much like biases, are so common place and banal that we don’t even think about it when we rely on them. But they are controlling objects, full of standards. The chair dictates how to properly stand, using western perceptions of it. They are symboles of the modern human, seated.

Confirmation bias

The tendency to search for or interpret information in a way that confirms one’s preconceptions.
L 80cm, w 35cm, h 125cm

To behave more compassionately towards a small number of identifiable victims than to a large number of anonymous ones.

L 75cm, w 60cm, h 180cm

To use human analogies as a basis for reasoning about other, less familiar,  biological phenomena. 

L 75cm, w 55cm, h 175cm

When one who does something goodgives themselves permissionto be less good in the future.

L 125cm, w 45cm, h 65cm

The tendency to judge harmful actions as worsethan equally harmful inactions.

L 60cm, w 40cm, h 100cm

These pieces are made from construction beams, including the surfaces, blending the distinction between seat and structure. The beams are shaped, burned, treated with linseed oil, and brushed to create a soft, leather-like texture. Burning naturally protects the wood, as do cognitive biases. It symbolizes here both destruction and rebirth.

Each piece is handcrafted using traditional Japanese woodworking joints. This technique involves combining complex shapes into tight, durable joints.