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About Me
- Who is Cheech Sanchez?
Cheech Sanchez is a conceptual artist and multi-disciplinary creative, toy collector, tattoo enthusiast and sneakerhead from Melbourne, Australia.
Spending her formative years in Sydney in the early 90s, she was introduced to graffiti and rave cultures almost simultaneously as a young teen. These two cultures continue to influence her life and work every day, and form the basis for her personal mantra to spend each day doing what she loves (at that particular moment).
With over 15 years experience as a designer, art director and creative, Cheech returned to university in 2010 to expand on her interest in design for spatial experience.
Recently crowned Miss Illustrated Pinup VIctoria 2011 and completing a Bachelor of Design (Interior/ Industrial Design), Cheech’s relentless pursuit of her next big creative thing is seemingly never-ending - even she isn’t quite sure what she might do next!
For more information, email info@cheechsanchez.com
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Posts
- Jan 24, 12In her first-ever solo show, Cheech Sanchez presents a series of photographic portraits of female sneaker enthusiasts taken exclusively for the recently released international sneaker book, Girls Got Kicks. The photo series has since developed into a unique snapshot of female street culture in Melbourne. Juxtapozing feminine curves against the graffiti-laden laneways and back streets of Fitzroy and St Kilda, the exhibition is set to throw a bright spotlight on an otherwise elusive group of uniquely Melbournian women.The opening night – hosted by Melbourne’s very own sneaker queen,M.A.F.I.A. – is also the official Australian launch for Girls Got Kicks (by Lori Lobenstine and Amanda Lopez -www.girlsgotkicks.com). The first ever photo documentary of badass female sneaker heads, Girls Got Kicks bursts with portraits and stories as rich and varied as their ever-growing sneaker collections.Opening night - 5pm Thursday February 2nd 2012 @ Vic Bar – 281 VICTORIA ST ABBOTSFORD MELBOURNEExhibition runs until February 29th.
- Nov 10, 11
- Nov 09, 11"Every year millions of chairs are produced, used and discarded; victims of rampant product consumption. Discarded furniture (often found in ‘op-shops’) are time capsules of their particular period of design and manufacture; exhibiting the styling and material preferences of their time.
Whilst their appeal (in a contemporary sense) may be lacking, they are not without intrinsic value nor
should they be scrapped. Their structural materials and inherent aesthetic can be reclaimed and
reinterpreted into new and exciting contemporary furniture – this is your challenge."Back at the beginning of the semester, we were given the task of finding a discarded chair to repurpose and reinterpret. I was extremely worried about this prospect - I don't use CAD, I don't use 3D software and was scared to use the workshop.But the chair I found, the FLER TVS, was a great example of mid century furniture designed right here in Melbourne - and that made me excited about the prospect of designing a new piece of furniture.After much consideration, rather than trying to reinterpret the design itself, I thought about the way the chair felt - the phenomenological aesthetic, rather than physical. I wanted to create a sitting experience. I chose to focus on the feeling of sitting in the FLER TVS - the slight bounce, the spring, the angle - and came up with the idea of creating a rabbit chair.Over the course of building the chair, I discovered that design ideas are great, but when it comes to actually manufacturing an object, there are many variables. With the help of existing research and design, the very idea of creating prototypes is to experiment and work out what will actually be functional.I also found out that not everything you design turns out the way you planned, and in the prototyping stage, you need to think on your feet, and not let set backs make you give up!The brief said to reclaim and reinterpret the structural materials and inherent aesthetic of the original chair into a new and exciting piece of contemporary furniture - and I think that's exactly what I've done.To say that I'm proud of the result is an understatement - for someone who didn't even want to use the workshop at the start to getting in there and bending all my own steel, welding and grinding, sourcing materials and completing a chair that genuinely looks like 'a bought one', I'd have to say this has probably been the most rewarding of all the subjects I've completed in my degree. - Nov 09, 11
Above left: Original Concept. Above Right: Final Prototype. Final MaterialsFrame:22mm tube steel (bent using jigs made in the workshop) shaped into a cantilever to provide flex and bounceFixings:MIG Weld (welded in the workshop)Screws to attach wooden earsFinish:White Powder Coat (outsourced)Bees WaxPolishSeat:25mm steel mesh bent to fit frameSeat Back:Existing timber arms component from FLER TVS chair (see below). - Nov 09, 11
Nothing goes smoothly, does it?
Thanks to Melbourne's wild weather today, the freshly waxed ears got wet on the way to the car. So I had to re-wax the ears. Pardon the pun. - Nov 09, 11
After picking up my powder coated chair, I have to say I was pretty chuffed to bring it back to the workshop for the final finishes.
After the holes were drilled, I taped the ears to the chair so that we could put the screws in.
Armed with some screws, rubber feet and felt spots, Nathan helped me drill holes through the steel to fix the back rest 'ears' to. I marked up the position of the ears slightly higher than the average 450mm backrest, to give a slightly extreme ear-like look.
And this was the result:
I overheard someone say it looks like a garden chair. That made me feel really good, because I guess that's pretty appropriate for a 'rabbit' chair. - Nov 09, 11
I found a great powder coating company in Footscray who are going to powder coat my chair frame (great price too!). I think this is really going to finish the chair off nicely - I definitely can not paint that well, and I want to make sure it looks professional for assessment. I think it looks very schmick!
- Nov 09, 11The welding on the chair is finished, but not without a few hitches! Firstly, I grinded the welds on the foot back, only to find I didn't do a very good job of welding. And so Andrew had to fix it by cutting down the length of the foot - which means the base is precariously short (and prone to tipping). Unfortunately it's now getting so close to assessment, I don't have time (or materials) to remake the base.I also procured some 25mm steel mesh from Bunnings, which I bent into a seat. Andrew helped me weld the mesh to the base - I'm actually really pleased with the way it looks - aside from the steel looking pretty shaby.I'm going to try to organise a rush powder coat of the chair to make it look more finished.
- Nov 09, 11
- Nov 09, 11
Today I had a breakthrough in the workshop - my chair is functional! After a little more welding, I can actually sit on it!
The metal is looking pretty rough though - it definitely needs to be painted.
But I'm having a little bit of a disaster - I can't get the rabbit fur seat manufactured in time (or within a reasonable budget (over $150!). I'm looking at options for a different seat... - Nov 09, 11
- Nov 09, 11
Today I bit the bullet and started cutting, bending and welding the 22mm steel tube which will take up the bulk of my fabrication.
The first step was to cut the 22mm tube steel into the correct lengths using the steel cutter.Next, I used a jig to bend the 22mm tube steel as per my drawings. This was quite tricky, especially to make sure that the bends and lengths matched each other.Then I had to put on all the fancy welding safety gear to try welding for the first time. This was even harder than getting the bends right! I have terrible eyesight, and it's difficult to see much at all through the welding helmet even if you have 20/20 vision. Still, I gave it a go.Thankfully, Andrew was there to give me a hand with the welding and grinding. The workshop guys are awesome!
FLASHDANCE! - Nov 09, 11After discussing the design with the guys in the workshop, a few revisions have been made. They suggested the shunts inside the tube were unnecessary, and suggested leaving those out.
I'm also have some issues sourcing the rabbit pelts (seems strange considering rabbits are a pest in Australia!). I'll continue looking but as an alternative, I might use flat bar for the seat (unless I can think of something more suitably 'rabbitish'.
I'm also considering painting the frame in the spray booth using either an etch primer or an automotive paint as an alternative to powder coating, because of time constraints. Michael gave me a lesson in how to spray steel.
- Nov 09, 11
- Oct 17, 11I decided that the next step in designing my chair was to make a 1:1 model using PVC electrical pipe. I bought a few meters of pipe from Bunnings, and used a hack saw to cut it up. Then to create the bends, I used my hairdryer to heat the pipe. The result was pretty awesome!It gave me a great indication of what the final chair would look like, as well as being really useful for the guys at the workshop. I put a stool inside the frame so I could 'sit' on the chair too:
- Nov 09, 11After reviewing our concepts in class, I decided to run with possibly the most conceptual of my designs - the rabbit chair. With a few changes to the materials...Frame:22mm tube steel (bent using jigs made in the workshop) shaped into a cantilever to provide flex and bounceFixings:MIG Weld (welded in the workshop)Screws to attach wooden earsFinish:Matt Black Powder Coat (outsource) OR Matt Black Spray Coat (sprayed in the workshop)Seat:Rabbit pelt or Fabric (TBA) stretched from side to side of frameSeat Back:Existing timber arms component from FLER TVS chair (see below).
- Oct 17, 11
This week I've been working on 1:1 drawings of the chair design.
I used a Kartell Ghost chair for the initial measurements (although I discovered that the reason the Kartell Ghost feels so strange to sit on is because the measurements of the chair don't meet regular chair standards).
Then I had a look at Dreyfuss' chair ergonomics and standard chair sizes. The basic chair size I will be working from is a 450x450x450mm cube (seat) with a back height of 450mm. - Sep 12, 11
What?Perch ChairWhy?As discussed in an earlier post, there are certain phenomenological qualities of the FLER TVS that I'd like to transfers to the new chair:- Arms and back are supported by legs
- Hanging arms and back provide flex and bounce
This concept is a slight twist on the hanging back - this concept sees the entire back and seat hanging from the frame. Potentially a disaster? Could be amazing if it stays upright.How?Frame:10mm or 12mm Mild Steel Rod (bent using jigs made in the workshop) shaped into a cantilever to provide flex and bounceFixings:MIG Weld (welded in the workshop)Finish:Matt Black Powder Coat (outsource) OR Matt Black Spray Coat (sprayed in the workshop)Seat:Existing FLER TVS seat back/arms flipped upside down and back the front so the back rest becomes the seat frame. Flat bar seat will be used to create the seat.Seat Back:See above. - Sep 11, 11
Please note: Materials used for model making are not accurate and in no way represent the final materials.
What?Rabbit ChairWhy?As discussed in an earlier post, there are certain phenomenological qualities of the FLER TVS that I'd like to transfers to the new chair:- Arms and back are supported by legs
- Hanging arms and back provide flex and bounce
Another feature of the FLER TVS are the timber arms, which have a tapered shape. After playing with the shapes, they came to resemble rabbit ears. Combine rabbit ears with a bounce, and you get a very playful chair concept.How?Frame:10mm or 12mm Mild Steel Rod (bent using jigs made in the workshop) shaped into a cantilever to provide flex and bounceFixings:MIG Weld (welded in the workshop)Finish:Matt Black Powder Coat (outsource) OR Matt Black Spray Coat (sprayed in the workshop)Seat:Rabbit pelt or Fabric (TBA) stretched from side to side of frameSeat Back: - Sep 11, 11
Please note: Materials used for model making are not accurate and in no way represent the final materials. What?Bounce ChairWhy?As discussed in an earlier post, there are certain phenomenological qualities of the FLER TVS that I'd like to transfers to the new chair:- Arms and back are supported by the legs
- Hanging arms back provides flex and bounce
How?Frame:10mm or 12mm Mild Steel Rod (bent using jigs made in the workshop) shaped into a cantilever to provide flex and bounceFixings:MIG Weld (welded in the workshop)Finish:Matt Black Powder Coat (outsource) OR Matt Black Spray Coat (sprayed in the workshop)Seat:Fabric (TBA) stretched from seat back to seat frontSeat Back:Existing seat back/arm component from FLER TVS chair (see below). Component will be turned upside down for integration into new chair. Timber arm rests potentially be incorporated by fixing them to the topside of the upturned arm rests. - Sep 05, 11
- Sep 05, 11A few weeks ago, I wrote in a blog post:"At this stage my concept for my chair design is to consider how this chair might have been designed - if it was designed today."After much consideration of the design of the FLER TVS chair, sketching and working with wire to make abstract chair models, I have decided my design intent.My intention is to design a chair that not only reinterprets how the FLER TVS chair may have looked if it was designed today using similar production process used in the original chair, but my design will be a reinterpretation of how the FLER TVS feels to sit in.phe·nom·e·nol·o·gynoun /fiˌnäməˈnäləjē/
- The science of phenomena as distinct from that of the nature of being
- An approach that concentrates on the study of consciousness and the objects of direct experience
Phenomenology is a term that interior designers tend to bandy around when talking about the way interior spaces feel and the effect those spaces have on the lives of the people who inhabit them. Phenomenology can also be applied to objects, and in this case, a chair.Sitting in the FLER TVS, I couldn't help but notice 3 things about the way the chair felt:- The arms and back are supported entirely by the legs
- The hanging nature of the back gives a fair amount of flex and bounce
- The springs in the seat creaked and cracked and bounced
- These 3 things combined reminded me of being a kid in a playground, bouncing on one of those spring-laid playground toys
- They also reminded me of swinging on the back legs of my chair at school, and particularly that moment when the stupid boy in the class would swing so much he'd topple over backwards and the class would roar with cheers and laughter
Without having any strong emotional ties of my own to the FLER TVS (ie my grandparents didn't have one, I'd never sat on one or even seen one in the flesh), simply by sitting in the chair I was tying my own memories to the chair.It's drawing from these memories and feeling, along with the materials and production of the original chair, that I intend to design my own.Chair Prototype Model, Wire, Tape and Trace Paper - The science of phenomena as distinct from that of the nature of being
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Pin Up & Other Photo Shoots
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