Flex Chair will Help Young People into a Better Future
Artist Salleigh Olsen from Bluethumb and furniture maker Ben Percy from Handkrafted have created an articulated, eye-catching and bespoke seating system, the Flex Chair, which provides users with a unique ergonomic experience. It’s amazingly comfortable for something so good looking and is part of our initiative Created With Care, combining the artistic talents of artists and furniture makers to create one-of-a-kind creations that are being auctioned online for charities the collaborators care about.
The chair’s design is a signature of Ben’s and is created by re-sawing solid American Hickory. The generous seat and backrest were the perfect canvas for Salleigh’s artwork, where she uses a combination of illustrations and exposed wood. “We wanted to reflect the essence of our nominated charity, StreetWork, by producing a piece which was fun and appeals to today’s youth,” says Ben.
Flex Chair by Salleigh Olsen and Ben Percy
The artwork for the chair was designed by Salleigh to capture the story and substance of an individual’s emotive thoughts on discovering identity, friendship and environment. This is a statement piece that can be enjoyed on many levels.
The unfinished and finished Flex Chair
The duo loved working together on this exciting collaboration. Their similar styles and excellent coordination skills are evident in their project management. “Ben is a great guy to work with and has amazing talent,” says Salleigh. “The only challenge we faced was timing,” a surprising observation considering they were the first collaboration to meet the deadline.
Salleigh Olsen and Ben Percy
Salleigh and Ben nominated StreetWork to donate the proceeds from the auction. StreetWork is a not-for-profit, community-based organisation that focuses on prevention and early intervention strategies for “at risk” youth to help them overcome crime, violence, destructive family relationships, rejection, learning difficulties, poor employment and more.
StreetWork’s Mentoring Programs; 5on5 basketball competitions
“It’s tough being a young person these days,” explains Salleigh. “I see so many homeless people on Sydney’s streets every day – without a supportive home environment providing guidance and good role models young people can easily fall into a downward spiral – I saw it a lot when I was growing up. It’s so great that there are organisations now like StreetWork who help young people give hope to their future. The illustrations on the art piece resemble this.”
StreetWork’s KickStart Mentoring Program; art activities
“The money from the auction can be used on any or all of the following; KickStart Mentoring Program, Skill Building Programs, Outreach Services and Outreach Programs,” informs Helen, a spokesperson from StreetWork.
The Flex Chair; finished product
The duo are honoured to create art for StreetWork and thank them for providing dedicated support to helping young people into a meaningful life. “This was a fantastic project to be involved in and we are privileged to be able to support StreetWork.” says Ben. Throughout the Created With Care project we’ve been humbled by the dedication of artists towards such meaningful causes.
Bid now on the Flex Chair and the other collaborations at Created With Care.
