An Artist Designed the Perfect Seats for Comfortably Checking Your Phone

December 1, 2016, 3:55pm

Running around the dozens of art fairs in Miami this week will inevitably lead to a level of exhaustion that can’t be cured by Red Bulls and cortaditos. Once you’ve reached your breaking point, head on over to the and relax on Miami-based artist , sculptural solutions for relaxation and above all else, comfortable phone browsing.

Pérez Art Museum Jillian Mayer’s

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Slumpies

These vibrant sculptures, somewhat reminiscent of crafts made at summer camp, have been painstakingly designed to facilitate optimal phone use. The Q Chair is a coiled structure that provides support for your arms and your chin to allow for effortless Instagram feed perusal. The Day Bed is a hybrid napping and notification check-in structure, ideal for people with a tendency to lie in bed while rendezvousing with their phones. Beyond their ergonomic designs, Mayer’s Slumpies possess built-in phone chargers and function as Wi-Fi hotspots to facilitate true, endless mobile browsing. The only limit is the tenuous desire to stop.

At first glance, it’s somewhat difficult to discern whether the artist’s creations stem from a genuine desire to enhance the mobile experience or from a more cynical and critical lens on contemporary phone culture. Mayer’s words point to an ambiguous middle ground between the two: “As I answer your questions, the shadow of my hunched form over my laptop is making me aware of my need for more structures in my life that will allow my physical form to deteriorate,” she tells The Creators Project.

Using language reminiscent of an early 2000s hyper-commercial advert, Mayer adds, “These sculptures aren’t JUST sculptures, they are ALSO for using your phone. But THAT’S NOT ALL,” she exclaims. “They also are a stage for a performative relationship with their audience. They are a platform, an excuse, an opportunity to connect and disconnect simultaneously.”

On the official Slumpies website, the artist presents her sculptures similarly to an IKEA catalog, displaying cleverly named product models with detailed descriptions that are supposedly for sale (although you cannot purchase them through the website, yet.) A “customize” function allows the prospective buyer to input their height, weight, and BMI for Mayer to supposedly make a custom lounger, though whether this is for show or indeed the next step of the project is unclear.

Regarding their distribution, Mayer answers curtly and enigmatically. “Currently, Slumpies are only distributed through David Castillo Gallery, although I am in talks with SkyMall in order to expand to a larger market,” she says. “This is totally true, by the way.”

Check out Slumpies at the Pérez Art Museum Miami throughout Miami Art Week and until January 22, 2017. Check out more of Jillian Mayer’s work on her website.