A chair made by a Tongan student who is studying doctorate in architecture at the University of Hawaii won the Spirit of the Show at the Hawai‘i Woodshow Award 2014.
Mohuhano ‘Mo’ Tu’ikolongahau produced the piece, titled “Rise Chair,” while a graduate student in a DArch elective studio class, Arch 693-Advanced Furniture Design and Fabrication, taught by Assistant Professor Hongtao Zhou.
“It was challenging to balance the elements—structure, seating, backrest—to achieve a cohesive look that was functional at the same time,” said Tu‘ikolongahau, who spent two months working on “Rise Chair.”
“The Spirit of the Show Award recognizes the most creative use of underutilized Hawai‘i-grown non-native wood species”, a statement from the university says.
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“Mo’s design took advantage of the straight ash wood fiber to create a long spiral using a free-form laminating technique, combining both sculpture and structure elements to create an architecturally beautiful as well as functional chair,” said Zhou.
Tu‘ikolongahau studied at Tonga High School in Tonga and obtained his undergraduate degree in Architecture from University of Hawaii, Mānoa in 2012.
There are more than 80 entries from Hawai‘i, California and Japan in the HFIA’s 2014 Hawai‘i Woodshow. UHM’s School of Architecture students and faculty contributed nine entries to showcase their design talents and woodworking skills.
Sponsored by the Hawai‘i Forest Industry Association (HFIA), the statewide juried wood show is being held at the Honolulu Museum of Art School at Linekona until Sunday, September 14. The show is free and open to the public.
Mohuhano ‘Mo’ Tu’ikolongahau, in middle, with his professor, Hongtao Zhou, at right. UHM School of Architecture faculty and students at the 2014 Hawaiʻi Woodshow, from left: Woodshop Supervisor Steve Hill, students Landon Hamada, Mohuhano Tu‘ikolongahau and Christopher Songvilay, and Assistant Professor Hongtao Zhou.
‘Rise Chair,’ which won the Spirit of the Show Award at the 2014 Hawaii Woodshow.
