Unconventional Art Materials - NatGeo Magazines - “The Seat of Knowledge"

The Seat of Knowledge

designed and built by Amy Hefter

In college, I had the option to do an independent study course in which I could complete any project that I wanted. I chose to do a sculpture, since it would give me the opportunity to learn how to use power tools and to work with wood (one of my favorite mediums, after photographs). Since I'm a fan of National Geographic, I decided to make a chair out of the magazines. I gathered hundreds of magazines from a free book exchange and friends' and family's subscriptions. I built the wooden base and chair and then cut, drilled, glued, and bolted the stacks of magazines to the frame. 

It was a personal journey for me, searching for and selecting the most compelling covers for the exterior of the chair and pulling out the dozens of maps NatGeo has put in several editions over the decades. I saw the change in the journal's design, but no change in content: the magazines are heft with world statistics and in-depth studies about civilizations and landscapes and animals both near and far. 

I wanted my chair to physically represent the amount of knowledge that National Geographic has put into print since their first edition in 1888. I have approximately 300 magazines on the chair, some dating back to 1971, and also more recent copies from 2011. The whole chair weighs over 200 pounds.

That's only 40 years of magazines; imagine what the rest of the years of magazines could build...

I received the Ro and Marius P. Johnson Scholarship for this piece in May 2011.

"The Seat of Knowledge"

"Building 'The Seat of Knowledge'"