Objects

Black-lacquered imperial folding chair with gold cloud and dragon decoration.

Chair exhibition

The Extraordinary in the Ordinary

Hong Kong Heritage Museum · 2014

Curated by Naomi Szeto

Chairs exhibited: 130+
Exhibition visits: 198,175

Virtual exhibition

Enter the 3D exhibition

Chair stories & sources

The Extraordinary in the Ordinary: Chairs for Viewing the World through Time ran from 7 June to 15 September 2014. Chairs from across cultures and centuries explored power, design and everyday life.

Until the Bidford Chair’s first loan

149 years. Naomi’s 2013 visit led to the chair’s 2014 loan to Hong Kong, its first since the Trust acquired it in 1865.

Shakespeare Birthplace Trust

Exhibition visits

The attendance LCSD reported for the exhibition’s run, counted as visits.

LCSD attendance record · p. 3

Age of the Egyptian stool

An ancient Egyptian stool brought more than three millennia of history into the exhibition, its curved seat made for comfort.

Hong Kong Government News

Student-designed chairs in the accompanying HKDI and IVE display

A separate display beside the exhibition presented 300 chairs designed by HKDI and IVE students.

Official exhibition announcement

LCSD exhibition expenditure was HK$13.096 million, including sponsorship. This is institutional expenditure for the exhibition, not Naomi’s personal budget.

The 149-year interval runs from the Trust’s acquisition in 1865 to the chair’s 2014 loan. The Egyptian stool dates to Dynasty 18, about 1539–1295 BCE; 3,000+ years is a minimum age.