Cactus: wing chair / Nurfaizah Mohd Radzi

• Main Author: Mohd Radzi, Nurfaizah
• Format: Book Section
• Language: English
• Published: College of Creative Arts, Universiti Teknologi MARA Kedah Branch 2022
• Subjects: Product design. Industrial design; Furniture
• Online Access: https://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/76148/1/76148.pdf; https://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/76148/

There is a wide variety of flora and fauna in this vast world. Many flora and fauna of unknown origin and existence. Most explorers and divers study that the further in we explore the forest the more we get to recognize the types of plants and the deeper we dive to the ocean floor the stranger animals we will encounter. As artists, they are very fond of inspiration based on flora and fauna in daily life. For them, the artwork will look more unique and creative. This study aimed to design a chair inspired by flora and fauna. Based on the above study, I have chosen flora to design my chair. The selected flora is Cactus. This is because I found the plant to be less inspired by furniture. Cactus has various types, names, and appearances among them are Barrel, Fairy Castle, Saguaro, Star, Feather, Blue Columnar and many more types that exist. Its unique shape can be easily processed to be inspired on furniture. The features found on the cactus are also interesting. In our society, a plant called cactus is only considered as a decoration in the house. Its species that live at low temperatures and need sunlight are quite difficult to care for. Many people do not think that this type of plant has good health benefits such as reducing stress and helping to sleep more peacefully. Apart from that, the cactus can also absorb radiation and neutralize electromagnetic waves. According to scientists, the cactus also has medicinal and healing benefits. For example, many Opwuntia, such as Opuntia ficus-indica, has diuretic properties. Another example is in Pereskia lychnidiflora, whose flowers, with leaves, produce amber-colored gums that can be used to treat respiratory diseases. And the infusion (from the leaves) serves as a treatment for kidney stones, liver problems, or even conjunctivitis. Also, the type of chair chosen for this design is a wing chair. This is because its unique design can be inspired by cactus and is suitable to be placed in the living room.