Renee Magritte’s Pipe becomes a chair: between image and function
This Is Not a Chair by Taekhan Yun examines the relationship between form, function and perception through an object that takes the shape of a tube while acting as chair. Referencing René Magritte’s The Treachery of Images (This Is Not a Pipe), the work explores how objects are recognized and understood beyond their visual appearance.
While Magritte’s painting emphasizes the distinction between an image and the object it represents, Yoon’s work shifts the discussion toward the relationship between image and function. Designed as a chair, the object does not conform to the conventional visual characteristics usually associated with a seat. Instead, it occupies an ambiguous position between what it looks like, what it does, and how it is perceived.
Magritte’s design reimagined as a 3D chair | all images courtesy of Taekhan Yun
This is not a chair by Taekhan Yun Object Perception Questions
The work stems from a broader inquiry into what defines a chair as an object. Chairs are usually identified through a familiar set of formal features, yet they are equally defined by their function, the ability to support the body in a seated position. Separating these two conditions, the work from designer Taekhan Yun questions whether the recognition of a chair depends mainly on its appearance or on its functional capacity.
To develop the piece, Yun translated the two-dimensional image of Magritte’s pipe into a three-dimensional object. The structure was built using styrofoam as the main material and then reinforced with layers of paper pulp. Acrylic paint and varnish were applied as a final finish, creating a surface that reinforces the visual reference to the original image while emphasizing the transformation of the object into functional form.
Rather than presenting a definitive answer, This Is Not a Chair suggests a framework for examining how objects acquire meaning. The work suggests that the recognition of a chair is not determined solely by form or function, but arises through the interplay between physical properties, intended use and the ways in which the objects are interpreted by their users.
the work was created by hand carving styrofoam and covering the surface with papier-mâché for protection
one of Magritte’s symbols, the apple, exists alongside the pipe
can this be called a chair?
what defines a chair?
a chair is an object defined through the interaction of image, function and perception
project information:
name: This is not a chair
designer: Taekhan Yun | @taekhannn
designboom received this project from us DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.
edited by: Christina Vergopoulou | designboom
