Three giant talking chairs made from MEDITE® TRICOYA® EXTREME (MTX), have been installed at Chester Zoo as part of their Wild Worlds Festival.
Designed by artist Jane Revitt, each chair is unique and custom-made for Chester Zoo, by 3D designers and furniture makers Wood & Wire. They are fitted with a sound system that activates when a button is pressed, talking about the animals they overlook.
Jane chose MTX for its guarantee of up to 50 years in outdoor conditions and the fact that it’s manufactured using sustainable wood as the chairs will remain after the festival has finished.
Peter Clifton, MTX Product Manager of manufacturers MEDITE SMARTPLY, commented:
“MTX is the perfect product for this project. Where the chair sits in the ground, in contact with soil, it is guaranteed for 25 years, while above ground it will last 50 years. This means one or two generations of children can enjoy and learn from the important messages of these chairs.”
“The unique composition of MTX definitely influenced my designs of the chairs,” Jane explained. “For example, all the panels in the chairs are vertical, as that’s how they bear weight best. It is also a material that has allowed me to be very creative. The intricate two-dimensional shapes we were able to cut out of the MTX panels has allowed me to create three very sculptural chairs.”
Furniture maker Jim Leach was responsible for translating Jane’s designs into the real thing. He said: “There are not many other materials that can compare to MTX. Using plywood for this project just would not have worked. MTX was great to shape and machine in the ways we were challenged with.
Each chair sits in its own garden at Chester Zoo, designed by Jane in collaboration with the Zoo’s horticultural team. The bright pink Flamingo Chair sits in the centre of the flamingo Garden, overlooking the flamingos in their lake.
The Catmint Chair, sprouting green leaves, is surrounded by the Enrichment Garden, planted with a variety of herbs, vegetables and flowers. The chair tells visitors why catmint and other plants are grown for the Zoo’s lions and other animals.
Finally, the Thorn Bush Chair overlooks the black rhinos, reminding onlookers of their rarity. It is hoped that this chair in particular will bring an increased awareness amongst school age children of the very near extinction Black Rhino’s face. The chair also features a silhouette of an Oxpecker bird, which can often be seen perching on the backs of rhinos in the wild.
The Wild Worlds Festival opened on 25th May and will run all summer until 30th September.