SLUMP chair

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...easy on the rump: the SLUMP

The lost art of sitting upright has given way to the slump. The Slump is perfect for [ending] a series of events, or starting them. After a long morning of business meetings, an afternoon of touring the sites, or anticipating a planned evening spectacle [in front of the castle], slumping on a seat in the battery is a requisite before shaking it off.

Meet a friend and slump together, or slump alone -- it really doesn't matter; there's no one to impress.

In the case of wanting to sit upright, give it your best shot. Stomach tight, shoulders back, the derrière tucked in. But if this is too much to endure, slumping with the Slump chair is made easy: just scootch out and lean into it. Or flip the chair on its back and get down low, feel the grass between your fingers and slump some more. It's as easy as one-two-three....

Finally.

At Battery Park, SLUMPING IN PUBLIC is allowed.

The design illustrates a 12" high upright seat position though this can be increased to 16" -- and proportionally the backrest with it -- so as to accommodate the semi-reclined position. (Note: for the purpose of a 1:1 scale illustration, an intermediate size is being depicted)

ERGONOMICS

Careful attention has been paid to the ergonomics of the upright posture versus the more relaxed position of a semi-reclined posture.

Both take into consideration the specific areas of required support for the lower back and seat area, careful not to sacrifice one posture's comfort for the other.

The hind legs stance measures at a width of three feet. This ensures a well balanced center of gravity given the height of the seat position relative to ground level.

STRUCTURE
The overall structure of the chair is made up of a tubular metal frame and an expanded metal diaphragm.

The diaphragm takes advantage of the strength and elasticity of the tubular frame construction by relying solely on its inherent tensile strength and dispersing all of the loads to the perimeter.

Where the tubular frame U-turns and doubles back on itself to form the hind legs of the chair, the diaphragm along the central axis is formed to counteract the transition from seat to seat-back. The weight of a seated individual throws the expanded metal into tension along the central axis helping the tubular frame resist the act of leaning back.

The structural synergy between the tubular frame and diaphragm allow for the chair to be lighter in weight and structurally cost effective by finding the optimal balance of work that each material needs to achieve.

MATERIALS
Expanded metal is the material of choice for the seat diaphragm given its ‘open cell’ structure and the resulting ease with which it can be formed and stamped into complex geometries. A powder coat finish in green for the ‘undercarriage’ is differentiated on the opposite/seat side in white in order to maximize reflectivity and minimize thermal absorption.
Powder coated with an Alkaline Earth Metal Aluminate pigment, the chairs’ tubular frame glows in the dark.
An opaque fluorescent pigment added to the phosphorescent finish ensures “glow” on an overcast day, in shadow, or at dusk.

FRIEND FINDING APP

Combining the advantages of RFID and GPS locator technologies, finding an empty Slump chair in the Park before it’s readily within view will be simple. Late for a concert at Castle Clinton, and the Battery Conservancy’s App will make it easy to find the friend that was kind enough to save you a seat. Arriving with a group of friends to lounge in the sun – apparently no chairs available? Go to the Battery Conservancy’s SLUMP App and locate the empty ones.

Semi-finalist in Battery Conservancy's international Draw Up a Chair Competition; finalists announced in Fall 2013