MOURNING CHAIRS
Together, these chairs facilitate a grieving
process intended to ease the life-to-death
transition for those that we love behind after
we ourselves have passed on.
The set consists of two chairs – the first of
which functions quite ordinarily, and the
second, which makes itself unavailable for a
sitter through its lack of a seat. Unlike the other
chair, which services visitors, the seat-less
ghost chair is otherwise concerned with
propping up non-physical visitors, offering a
spot designed and reserved specifically for
them.
With this function in mind, this ghost chair
becomes a powerful tool for managing grief.
Using the ghost chair as a proxy for lost loved
ones, participants can situate themselves
adjacent and within the guest chair and have
conversations or interactions with a defined
physical space and a tangible object. The ghost
chair becomes a representation of someone
who is no longer able to speak for themselves,
acting as a silent partner in conversation with
the begrieved.
Ghost and Guest chairs designed and built by
Bennett Molnar in Vancouver, B.C.
Cherry, Maple, and Aspen wood
