In collaboration with Willem De Roo & Michiel Vlaemynck

“Conflict & Dialogue” is a spatial installation consisting of two movable chairs placed facing each other. The position and distance between the chairs determine the spatial relationship between the two users.

The installation explores how physical distance influences interaction between people. Moving the chairs closer together or further apart changes the situation. A shorter distance creates a more direct and intense interaction, while a greater distance allows for more personal space and detachment.

As a result, the chairs function as a physical means of interaction. The users themselves determine the distance and thereby influence the dynamics of the situation. The movement of the chairs reveals how people deal with closeness, personal space, contact, and withdrawal.

The design focuses on the balance between connection and protection. The installation makes this social and spatial relationship physically tangible without imposing a fixed mode of use in advance.

The technical principle of the design is based on two independent, sliding chairs. By moving the chairs across the floor, the distance between them can be continuously adjusted. This creates a variable configuration in which the spatial relationship between the two users is constantly changing.

Conflict & Dialogue thus uses a simple physical mechanism the sliding of two chairs to make the influence of distance on human interaction visible and tangible.