Phisanu Numsiriyothin is a furniture maker and specialist in the field of Thai Woodcraft. Numsiriyothin shared a deep connection with nature and believes humans should exsist in harmony with their surroundings. After relocating from Bangkok to a rural village in Northeastern Thailand, he opened a sustainable woodworking studio which teaches Rush Chair workshops to farming communities in Isaarn, Thailand. He developed the Rush Chair project with fellow designer Piti Amraranga to revive the art of manufacturing this traditional chair.
The Rush Chair Project revives the art of this traditional design while bringing sustainability to the front of the user, or makers, consciousness. In this project the designers and makers attempted to make a chair out of branches that were either from dead tree, trimmed down or from juvenile trees, leaving the tree able to continue to grow and prosper while simultaneously providing affordable building material.
The projects catch phrase, “stuff we get to use, trees still get to grow,” illustrates the intention of offsetting the destructive element of woodwork through sourcing sustainable materials.
With fellow designer o-d-a, Numsiriyothin began this project to demonstrate an ideal future makers should continue to work toward; sustainability in all things.
“Creating without destroying.”
Furthermore, each element of the chair provides an opportunity to reconnect with local communities around Thailand, teaching them a sustainable craft. It is the artists' hope that the income additional income locals will make from selling the materials needed for this project, or through the making and selling of the chairs, which will supplement their livelihoods currently made from subsistence farming.
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