its purpose . It was my turn to bring them back to life , celebrate their original intent while giving them new meaning and purpose .
CHAIR became the embodiment of not only me . CHAIR was the undiscovered forgotten beauty in all of us .
What was I to do ? I knew that CHAIR and I could not be separated . How could I approach the taxi stand worker to ask if he would sell me his chair ?
All I could do was ask . Thinking like a normal American , I assumed anything had a price . Also seeing the condition of the chair , I immediately assumed the taxi stand worker would be thrilled to have me take this this piece of “ junk ” off his hands for a fair price . Well , I couldn ’ t have been more wrong . What I thought was a fair price of $ 10.00 US Dollars or a week ’ s salary in Havana had no appeal . I was deflated . What I didn ’ t realize was that by selling me his chair , he would have no place to sit . Little did I know what a commodity having a chair was in Cuba . After hearing that , I knew what I must do , find him a new chair to sit on .
Swinging into action , I immediately headed out in search of a new chair . As luck would have it , I stumbled into a
performing arts school with an endless supply of metal music chairs . With such a great supply , it was an easy negotiation for one . Rushing back to the taxi stand , as if there were a line of customers and chair collectors waiting to snatch up my humble chair , I presented my new chair to the owner . It wasn ’ t long before he decided he was getting the deal of the century , a new chair and a week ’ s salary for his now obsolete chair .
I could only contain my excitement when he agreed . Without looking to over the moon , I thanked him for his generosity and departed for the hotel . I ’ ll never forget that moment and my next decision .
Upon entering the hotel lobby , I spotted a shiny brass bellhop cart . No longer would CHAIR face the daily grind . He would be treated like a prince . After working so hard , I felt CHAIR needed to take a break . No longer watching the world pass him by , it was time for CHAIR to see the world .
This is how the story of CHAIR began .
Our first night together , started out with a walk to the lobby . I seated us alone in the middle of the action . As it was the Cuban Bi-Annual , everything was a buzz . Artists , gallery owners , international press and guests were scattered
CHAIR meets the Cuban Ballet , American Intersection - Havana , Cuba
PORTFOLIO MAGAZINE 19