Architecture News

Umbel Acoustic Design's innovative 'Stagger' project demonstrates a unique approach to acoustic treatment by transforming vintage stackable chairs into a functional and visually engaging acoustic wall. This initiative highlights the potential for creative reuse of everyday objects, moving beyond conventional soft materials to explore the sound-modifying capabilities of seemingly rigid components. The project not only offers practical acoustic benefits but also challenges perceptions of what constitutes an effective sound-absorbing surface, integrating design and utility in an unexpected manner.

The installation serves a dual purpose: acting as a permanent acoustic fixture and a modular system from which chairs can be detached for use during events. This flexibility underscores the project's ingenious design, where each element contributes to both aesthetic appeal and practical function. By re-imagining the role of common furniture, 'Stagger' presents a compelling case for sustainable design practices and the broader application of acoustic principles in diverse settings, making a significant impact on both the visual and auditory environment.

Transforming Everyday Objects into Acoustic Art

The 'Stagger' installation by Umbel Acoustic Design ingeniously reinterprets common Haworth stackable chairs from the mid-1990s, converting them from simple seating units into a dynamic, geometric acoustic wall. This design philosophy intentionally challenges the traditional notion of furniture that typically recedes into the background when not in use. Instead, these chairs are brought to the forefront, becoming an integral part of the room's aesthetic and acoustic treatment. The transformation elevates them into an ornamental feature that also actively manages sound, proving that functionality and art can coexist harmoniously.

The meticulous arrangement of the chairs, secured with off-the-shelf red hooks and complemented by soft red tubing that replaces their original clear feet, creates a visually striking pattern. This intricate setup not only adds depth but also mimics the structural complexity found in anechoic chambers, known for their sound-absorbing properties. The use of birch plywood, finished with tung oil, provides a robust and aesthetically pleasing substrate, ensuring the system's stability and acoustic performance. This thoughtful integration of materials and design elements allows 'Stagger' to effectively diffuse and absorb sound across a broad spectrum, offering both functional and artistic value.

Innovative Material Exploration in Sound Management

Umbel Acoustic Design's commitment to pushing the boundaries of acoustic engineering is clearly demonstrated in its exploration of unconventional materials for sound treatment. The studio rigorously tested the 'Stagger' installation at the Riverbank Acoustical Laboratories, specifically under their Novelty testing program, to scientifically quantify the acoustic impact of using 'hard' materials like plastic chairs. This empirical approach revealed that despite the absence of traditional 'soft' sound-absorbing surfaces, the geometric configuration of the chairs provided significant broadband acoustic absorption, a finding that challenges long-held assumptions in the field.

This innovative research underscores Umbel's philosophy that virtually any material can contribute to a room's soundscape if manipulated with intention and creativity. By demonstrating the acoustic benefits of materials not typically associated with sound control—such as concrete, metal, glass, and even plants—the studio opens new avenues for design. The project’s success with minimal plastic chairs suggests vast potential for future furniture and object designs to incorporate inherent acoustic properties, emphasizing that deliberate design choices are crucial for optimizing the auditory experience of any space.

Marie Watt's artistic process frequently involves people gathering, their hands actively working with textiles as narratives are exchanged. Whether in a museum, school, community center, or her private studio, the core interaction remains intimate and direct. Needles glide through wool, tracing patterns of hand-written stories, creating a shared space imbued with the collective presence of many individuals.

Watt, an artist hailing from Seattle and a member of the Seneca Nation's Turtle Clan, explores the profound question of craft's potential. Her diverse artistic repertoire spans printmaking, painting, textiles, and sculpture. She draws inspiration from Haudenosaunee protofeminism, a matriarchal social structure dating back centuries, and Indigenous teachings. Her work consistently highlights the interconnectedness of community and storytelling, skillfully navigating between ancestral materials and modern artistic forms.

Watt's oeuvre repeatedly features salvaged blankets, which carry the essence of their prior use before being integrated into new creations. These blankets evoke feelings of comfort, protection, generosity, and interaction, their surfaces bearing the imprints of past existences. Pieces like "Long Night Eclipsed (Winter Solstice)" from 2025, crafted from repurposed wool, satin bindings, thread, and embroidery floss, transform the blanket into a concentrated medium of touch, its intimate scale belying a much larger material memory. Similarly, "Solstice," also from 2025, expands this visual language into a grander composition using various reclaimed textiles and materials, where craft not only preserves traditional techniques but also allows used objects to continue their silent narratives.

Central to Marie Watt's collaborative methodology are her sewing and printing collectives, which she considers fundamental to her creations. These gatherings, held in diverse locations, provide a platform for participants to share personal stories while engaged in manual work. The circular arrangement fosters a social dynamic that accommodates and amplifies different voices. This structure is prominently showcased in "Singing Everything: Crescendo (Staccato)," a 2023 installation developed with the Whitney Museum of American Art. It originated from a question posed to communities: 'What do you wish to sing a song for in this moment?' Participants' responses were translated onto over a hundred panels by Watt's studio, culminating in an embroidery circle involving more than 300 people. The resulting textile integrates handwriting, stitches, and collective voices into a unified artistic statement.

Watt's incorporation of tin jingles extends her work beyond mere visual appeal. In "Sky Dances Light," installed in 2024, thirteen jingle clouds combine elements from her Forest, Chorus, Kin, and Solo series, alongside pieces from Vivid Dream: Awakening. These forms, suspended in the air, oscillate between heaven and earth, their small metallic cones producing soft sounds as air circulates through them. The jingles carry rich historical significance related to craftsmanship, ornamentation, ceremonies, and healing. Watt's studio links them to the Jingle Dress Dance, an Ojibwe tradition that emerged during the 1900s influenza pandemic and persisted within Indigenous communities during periods when ceremonial gatherings were prohibited in the United States. In Watt's installation, this history resonates through a gentle metallic hum, inviting viewers to experience the work physically.

Watt's material vocabulary also embraces constructed environments, as seen in "Skywalker/Skyscraper (Quiver)," a 2023 sculpture combining reclaimed blankets, tin jingles, and a steel I-beam. This 108-inch-tall piece merges textiles with architectural elements. The I-beam provides a vertical thrust, while the blankets and jingles evoke tactile sensations, warmth, and sound. The artwork's title pays homage to Indigenous ironworkers and their contributions to urban landscapes. In Watt's hands, steel complements rather than overshadows the textile, becoming another medium infused with memory. This sculpture encapsulates labor, risk, and inherited skills within a single upright form, bridging craft and urban infrastructure.

In "Companion Species (Call and Response)," a paired work from 2022, Watt revisits reclaimed wool blankets, embroidery floss, thread, cotton twill tape, and tin jingles. The title frames the two panels as a conversation, with one element posing a question and the other offering a reply, mirroring the responsive nature of her sewing circles. This profound sense of connection permeates Watt's entire practice, with her studio viewing exchange as a means to comprehend and strengthen relationships with locations, fellow beings, animals, and the cosmos.