Designed by US-based designer Rochus Jacob, the Murakami Chair has won first prize at the Incheon Industrial Design Awards 2009 (iida) organized by designboom, in collaboration with Incheon Business Agency and hosted by the Incheon Metropolitan City, Korea. The open-to-anyone competition was broadly set around three main themes: green design and products, city and green design, and green communications.The designer Jacob, was looking for simple, everyday opportunities where power could be generated to light a lamp attached to a non-fuss armchair. The final result is a rocking chair that enables the user to experience production and consumption of electricity in a gentle and rewarding way.
The chair incorporates advanced nano-dynamo technology built into its skids and efficient light sources, such as the newly developed OLED lighting, to power the lamp with energy generated by simply rocking the chair. During daylight, the energy gets stored in a battery pack. The construction of the flat and bendable organic light emitting diodes allows new form factors such as using the traditional shape of a lamp.
iida 2009 is hosted by Incheon Metropolitan City and organized by Incheon Business Agency. Sponsors of this competition are Ministry of Knowledge Economy of Korea, Korea Institute of Design Promotion, LG electronics, designflux, Incheon Industrial Design Association, and Incheon Design Company Association.
The iida 2009 1st prize winner wins $5,000 plus travel expense amounting to $3,000 to the iida awards ceremony that will take place on December 2, 2009 at songdo convensia, Incheon Metropolitan City, Korea. The winning designs will be exhibited during the exhibition period of Design Korea 2009 from December 2-8, 2009.
