Open Call:
The New Comfort

Rockbund Museum
Shanghai, China

SUBMIT HERE

The Brief

What does your perfect chair look like?

This is my The Most Comfortable Chair in The World ..... 

  I brought this question to a lot of people in my life: “What does your perfect chair look like?”

“It doesn’t hurt my butt.”

“It fits the aesthetics of my room.”

“It’s wobbly but I made it myself.”


        The answers are all different. So I wonder:
Does it ever exist, a perfect chair?
Who is riding the definition of its perfection?
Is it a person, or an organization, or a mysterious need?

        If it doesn’t exist, what’s the point of finding it? If it does, do we really need it?
       
         What if the chair we find perfect now is no longer perfect in three months?
Must it be the ultimate definition of comfort, or can multiple comforts coexist and interact? So many questions, yet no concrete answers. But do we need answers after all?

        Still, we believe that “a perfect chair” shows us more than just a perfect chair. It is about your definition of perfection, your relationship with the materials world, your experience with the image worlds,...

        In short, your “perfect chair” reveals about you as much as you do about it. 

Soooooooooooo...
Do you want to tell your stories in the form of chairs? 
Or maybe, let’s define the new comfort(s)!?

Dear people, 
Help us design a chair that redefines the comfort!

Step 1

CHOOSE YOUR CHAIR’S ATTITUDE

An object that holds a story about the Shanghai people/culture/memories/etc.


There is no restriction in size, materials or values. This will be a part/an inspiration for your chair. With this and a vision you want to portray with the chair, NÉM and RAM will curate a material bar for you to design your most comfortable (or not) chair.
There is no entrance fee. We provided basic tools, workspace and raw materials available for usage. However, extra NEW materials will not be covered.

Step 2

SEND YOUR IDEAS

           Ask yourself, “What is your relationship towards that object?” Think about function, economy, personality and culture. Your idea and expressions can be sketches, words or images from your daily life. Try not to send us some Pinterest images. Your ideas should reflect size, materials, and what you imagine from them.

MATERIAL MATTERS

        We would love to see how materials are ultilized in response to the comfort within our current social context.

FUNCTIONALLY?
ECONOMICALLY?
REBELLIOUSLY?

        Whatever it is, we hope the material choice is wise.

FABRICATION STUDIO AT ROCKBUND MUSEUM

20 Huqiu Rd, Waitan, Huangpu, Shanghai, China, 200085

SAVE THE DATES

Call for Designers/Artists
20 August - 07 September


Make Your Chairs
at Rockbund
12-18 September
10am-6pm


Roam the city to find materials and observe the daily motion, usage, and emotional attachment to objects. guided by Ném
12-14 September
10am-2pm



Public Display at Rockbund
20-28 September

SUBMISSION

A 200-word concept statement or a sketch explaining the choice of the object. Submitted as a PDF file;

Object visuals (2–6 images, a mix of landscape and portrait preferred);

A brief budget estimate and allocation breakdown;

CVs of the collective and all individuals involved.

Chosen makers will be contacted by Ném on the September 7th, 2025, prior to the one-week workshop.

SUBMIT HERE
SUBMIT HERE

SUBMIT HERE

Send your chairs

chao@nemspace.info
info@rockbundartmuseum.org

Don’t hesitate to ask us anything

chao@nemspace.info
ngan@nemspace.info