If anyone knows anything about relaxing, it would be the sloths. But did you know that two out of the six sloth species are currently endangered? The population of the Pygmy Sloths and Maned Sloths have dwindled drastically over the past years. In light of this, renowned South African artist Porky Hefer created a collection of larger-than-life seat pods that resemble several endangered animals. And the collection featured a very comfy-looking giant hanging sloth lounger.
Art consultants SFA Advisory together with the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation (LDF) commissioned the Endangered collection. The Endangered collection debuted at the Design Miami/Basel 2018 show that ran from 12-17 June 2018. And as expected, the massive animal-inspired functional sculptures drew massive crowds. Exhibit attendees got to sit in, on and even cozy up in the massive beanbags and hanging chairs. The giant hanging sloth lounger was definitely a popular attraction at the exhibit. The invitation to interact with the exhibited goods was definitely not something you’d get to do on other exhibits! As to why they encouraged interaction, Hefer said:
“Humans need to fall in love with animals again. I want to dwarf the average adult so they feel small again. This evokes their inner child and gets their imagination running wild.”
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South African artist Porky Hefer made a giant hanging sloth lounger for his endangered animal-inspired seat collection
Hefer’s giant hanging sloth lounger is named Tervyn. The super-sized, suspended sloth-shaped lounger is inspired by the appearance of Pygmy Three-toed Sloths. It’s big enough to comfortably accommodate a single adult for a nap or seat three folks at once. No official measurements were shared, but our guesstimate is that it will take up quite a lot of space in any room. This incredible piece of functional art was made with skillfully knitted reused t-shirts and hangs from a corduroy and steel frame made to resemble a tree branch.
Aside from Tervyn the Pygmy Three-toed Sloth, the Endangered collection also features a massive orangutan and polar bear beanbags and hanging chairs that also come in the form of a blue whale and a great white shark. The massive beanbags are stuffed with polyester sourced from recycled plastic bottles. These beanbags were so massive that anyone who sat on them definitely felt like a little kid all over again!
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The endangered animal seat collection is also a protest
To bring his vision to life, Hefer collaborated with several creatives based in Cape Town. He worked closely with textile artist Ronel Jordaan and also involved craft collectives Heart Works and Mielie in the creation of his Endangered collection. The larger-than-life animal-shaped seats are entirely handmade. This feat is definitely jaw-dropping. Most would assume that the massive beanbags and hanging chairs were made using machinery. But Hefer celebrates and champions handmade crafts. And the pressing issue of handmade crafts being disregarded in favor of mass-produced objects was another matter that Hefer wanted to address through his exhibit.
“It’s the future of the next generation that I am concerned about and the state of the world they inherit. Looking after our animals and Earth is one thing, but also the preservation of human skills, crafts, and traditions. I think it’s important to show what beauty humans are capable of with their hands rather than the destructive mass production that technology is driving the modern consumerist society.”
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Part of the Endangered seat pods’ sales went to LDF’s wildlife conservation programs
The giant sloth lounger and all the other pieces in the Endangered collection have since been sold. And for every piece sold, 25% of the sales proceeds went to LDF’s wildlife conservation programs. Hefer is not likely to release a new batch of these limited-edition beanbags and hanging chairs. But we certainly hope that the proceeds of these amazing seat pods have made a difference in conservation efforts. The entire project is definitely unique and extremely meaningful. However, we still wish there were more of these giant sloth loungers for us all to nap on!
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Source: Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation | Animal-Farm