At first glance, you might not think twice about a pot with two handles or a chair with a curved seat. But if you actually imagine using any of these products, you may find yourself laughing at the impracticality of it all. Created by Athens-based architect Katerina Kamprani, The Uncomfortable is an ongoing series of useless and “deliberately inconvenient” everyday objects.
Her goal is to redesign objects by making them uncomfortable, but still usable, without changing the core identity of the item–a fork is still a fork, a bowl is still a bowl, a key is still a key. They are just a real pain to actually use! Without even picking one up, the purposefully awkward objects stir up frustrations and aggravations at the thought of their inefficiencies. Through her work, Kamprani invites her audience to consider how heavily we rely on the basic functions of everyday things, and she reminds us to be grateful to those clever inventors who designed the practical and convenient items that we use without any trouble.
