Artistic impulse

Recently I was sent a link to an article about the results of the Royal Society of Arts student design awards. This was specifically because one of the winners was very much related to wheelchairs and disability. I was greeted, when looking at the article, by the sight of a wheelchair with a frame made entirely out of wood in the same way as any traditional chair or dining table. As someone who has been disabled since birth I've seen a lot of wheelchair variations in my lifetime, however the concept of a wooden wheelchair struck me as incredibly novel from a design perspective. It's the kind of thing that you simply don't see going along a pavement. I immediately wanted to know a little bit more about it. Luckily the name of the designer was featured in the paragraph concerning his wheelchair and I was able to contact him fairly easily to ask a little bit more about what his thought process was behind designing the wheelchair.

Inspiration

The wheelchair’s designer, Nelson Noel, was only too happy to tell me what inspired his design. The brief for the design, he explained to me, "demanded a wheelchair of the future”. He went on to state that "during my research stage I came across some wheelchair racers who use their old day wheelchairs indoors." For those of you who might not be aware, the differences between a sports wheelchair and a regular wheelchair are quite substantial. A sports wheelchair is obviously designed for a competitive environment so will be as light and fast as possible but is not usable outside of that environment. On the other hand, many regular wheelchairs (in my experience) are functional but do not have the sense of anything beyond an often very heavy but necessary pieces of medical machinery. This is particularly true if you look at the wheelchairs provided by the NHS. For as much some might complain about NHS wheelchairs, it is hard to avoid the fact that wheelchairs are an incredibly expensive requirement and can cost thousands of pounds. Most people just cannot afford this. This is why the Curve is so interesting as a product.  For as much as Nelson is spot on in saying that one of the main purposes of Curve is "to help around the house, particularly in the kitchen", it is his other statement regarding his design that I find most interesting. Further on in our conversation he revealed to me that, "[he] developed Curve to be a domestic wheelchair which fit aesthetically into the home without a medical look”. After having had the chance to speak to Nelson about his design it was clear to me that he had understood and effectively executed the idea that wheelchairs are a part of the furniture of all disabled people's lives. So why not combine the need for furniture and the need for wheelchairs in a way that is pleasing on the eye. The lack of a medical look also helps and this was clearly influenced in my eyes by the influence of the disability  racers.

Design

Some of you may be wondering how the Curve achieves its goal from a design perspective. In Nelson’s own words "the frame is centred so that less wheelchair is visible. The seat height is also elevated..." As already mentioned these design elements are meant to help disabled people with everyday domestic chores, particularly in the kitchen.

Conclusion

Who knows if the Curve.   will be the so-called "wheelchair of the future."  However I personally see definite potential in it going forward. It's the kind of product that has a market. It combines the pleasing look of a piece of furniture with the requirements of a wheelchair and this is something that I think most disabled people gravitate towards. I hope to see do well in future.

--------------------

Sign up to bespoken to receive our weekly bulletin

--------------------

Elektroscooter - stylish concept without a reality?

Cancer survivor takes giant strides to achieve her dreams

Past winner of the Blackwood Design Awards discusses what's happened since