POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

Cero fibreglass chairs by Brian Steendyk

Object No. 2005/102/1

Brian Steendyk is a Brisbane architect working in a mix of design disciplines including furniture, interior and urban design as well as architecture. A graduate of QUT and the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Steendyk was one of 10 short-listed designers in the Bombay Sapphire Design Discovery Award 2004 and a judge of the 2004 Australian Design Awards. His 'Cero' chair (Spanish for 'zero') received an Australian Design Award in 2003 and was displayed at the Milan Furniture Fair 03. It is currently being retailed by Space in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane and by Printemps in Paris. Light, versatile, elegant yet informal the chair is both eye-catching and functional. Made of fibreglass with a glossy gel-coated finish in red, black or white, Cero's simple but innovative shape adds a new dimension to seating design that reflects the freshness and creativity of current Australian design. In his presentation report for the 2003 Australian Design Awards Steendyk describes the chair thus: 'The streamlined styling of Cero references our busy 'jet age' lifestyles and stylistically the cowling of a jet engine. The external form of the Cero is a distinct circular donut with its associated void, and is both aesthetically pleasing and structurally innovative. The unique nibble in the top of the chair has been ergonomically designed to encourage good posture by tilting the pelvis forward to help transfer the weight of the head and torso to the bones of the pelvis and hip.'