Philippe Morel - BestTest1-400 chair

France, 2004 cut and laminated elm 20¼ w x 18½ d x 35½ h in (51 x 47 x 90 cm)
Morel uses genetic algorithmic calculations, a process that mimics evolution and natural selection, to design chairs. This complex procedure integrates mutations, crossbreeding and selection into a convergent cycle that generates unusual and unique chairs. Morel starts with a "Definition Domain" of information that, when rendered, resembles a cube with a backrest. He then sets up "input parameters" that establish the criteria for the production and evaluation of the future chairs. The mass of the Definition Domain is slowly reduced in accordance with the input parameters. For each generation, 100 chair designs are produced and individually evaluated. The design that best fits the input parameters is considered the final design for that generation. The process continues with each cycle delivering 100 chair models, and only one is selected as the representative. Each generation is the calculated accumulation of the best elements of the previous evaluated chair designs, meaning each subsequent generational representative should be a better chair design. Morel foresees the processes of the computational chair being utilized to design custom-determined chairs that address the user's physiology as well as other personalized criteria. The current example is the 400th generation of the BestTest1-400 process, indicating that it has been through 40,000 rigorous evaluations and is the result of many