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InspirationMotion

Isle of Chair: short animation explores mental illness through falling furniture

Originally from Taiwan, Ivyy Chen is an animation director and illustrator based in London. Her recently completed passion project, Isle of Chair, is a six-minute animation inspired by Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood and her own, and others', experience of mental illness.

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The short film is inspired by the following question: 'If a fallen chair symbolises death, loss, damage and dysfunction, would you want to help the chair to stand again? If the chair can never stand in the way that you prefer, would you accept that? Or, would you let it be?'

It's not the first time Ivvy has used the symbolism of the chair in her work. "Over the past five years, I have been telling many stories through the chairs in picture books, illustration and animation shorts," she explains. "I explore the diverse ways in which people connect to chairs and how these everyday objects can embody various emotions and connections. I like to use the symbolism of the chair to tell stories about emotions and connection. A chair could represent a role, a position, an identity, a relationship or a state of mind."

A white figure sits beside a large dark pool on a sandy landscape with geometric structures and green vegetation, from animator Ivyy Chen's Isle of Chair
Three overturned chairs rest on a dark hillside beneath a starlit blue sky in a scene from Isle of Chair animation
A white hand reaches towards a small purple square icon depicting a chair against a textured pink background
A darkly lit interior scene with architectural elements and a small figure near a window, rendered in shades of blue in a minimalist animation style
A stylised illustration showing a seesaw with brown spheres on each end, balanced on a blue triangular fulcrum against a warm terracotta and peach background
Aerial view of multiple black chairs casting shadows scattered across a blue surface in Ivyy Chen's Isle of Chair animation
Giant white hands hover over a desert landscape with a fallen chair and small figure, illustrating the animation's exploration of mental illness and loss
Three chairs cast long shadows across a dark blue floor beneath a windowed building in Ivyy Chen's Isle of Chair animation
Illustration showing nine different chairs and furniture pieces in navy and purple against a terracotta background, from simple designs to a central sofa
Silhouette of an overturned chair on a blue underwater-like seabed with mountains in the distance and small objects scattered around
Film poster for Isle of Chair by Ivyy Chen, featuring white Chinese characters on a deep blue background with silhouettes of fallen chairs
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