FLOCK
Felted wool as a poly-quality mono-material
upholstered furniture
inseparable mass
Upholstered furniture consists of a variety of different materials, including wood-based panels, foam and textiles. The wood-based panels are composed of small pieces of wood that are bound with either formaldehyde-containing binders or cement. Consequently, they either emit hazardous vapours their entire lives or are bonded with the largest sources of emissions in the construction industry. The foams are petroleum-based, thus utilising fossil resources. The same applies to the textiles, which encase all other materials, making the interior inaccessible. All of them are firmly bonded, rendering them inseparable. This makes recycling uneconomical, thus preventing their return to the cycle.
wool as a poly-qualitative mono-material product
In contrast, wool, a regenerative raw material with outstanding properties, processed into a felt, is a mono-material. Besides the advanced digital manufacturing process, through utilisation of traditional felt making techniques it is able to take on both constructive and upholstering tasks in upholstered furniture. This enables the production of mono-material upholstered furniture from a renewable and biodegradable raw material.
creation
The wool of a European sheep breed can be selected for use in furniture production according to both the fibre structure and the naturally occurring wool colours. The wool is felted into tubular modules of any length and in a customised pattern of firm and soft qualities, resulting in a piece of furniture made up of several modules.
RE-upholstering
As with any other piece of upholstered furniture, it will require re-upholstering or, in this case, re-felting from time to time. This presents an opportunity to redefine the furniture and adapt it to changing needs. The re-felting process allows for the selection of an alternative fibre structure and wool colour, the addition of new modules and the felting of existing modules with other firm and soft areas. The new wool is felted onto the outside of the existing tube, thereby ensuring that the module becomes increasingly stable over time, rather than becoming weaker. The modules can be rearranged at the end to create a different type of object, such as a stool, an armchair, a sofa or even a room divider.
Changeability of materials
While the object typology and outward appearance of the modules may evolve over time, they remain fundamentally the same modules at their core. Each re-felting cycle adds a new layer, giving the module a new appearance from the outside. However, the previous re-felting cycles remain visible in the cross-section, similar to the annual rings of a tree. This allows the history of the module to become visible wordlessly, and therefore never erased. The changeability of materials is therefore not a disadvantage, but an opportunity to redefine objects.
production Process
FLOCK - a stool
