Form Ever Follows Function...

...except when it doesn't

Overheard at Lem's:

As a side note, my teacher used to make chairs that were art and which were never meant to be sat in.

What happened to form ever follows function?

It is the pervading law of all things organic and inorganic, of all things physical and metaphysical, of all things human and all things superhuman, of all true manifestations of the head, of the heart, of the soul, that the life is recognizable in its expression, that form ever follows function. This is the law. ~Louis Sullivan

That's a powerful notion, and I'd say it holds for all of chemistry too, being that chemical structure and function are so entwined.* But the obvious question is which comes first. I mean, things evolve and mutations happen (form changes) and functional changes follow (function or disfunction).

I'm not trying to diss your beautiful piece of work, Sixty; I'm just struck by how your chair's actual function challenges its form. But is the chair not gorgeous to behold itself?  As an imaginary chair?
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*The chemistry term of art "functional group" refers to an interchangeable group of atoms which have a specific function.

"No more weird architecture"

"Chinese president Xi Jinping has called for an end to the "weird architecture" that has come as a result of China's construction boom."

"No more weird architecture" said Xi, reports the website of Chinese state newspaper the People's Daily – whose own new headquarters building came under fire last year after being compared to a giant penis.

 

"Fine art works should be like sunshine from the blue sky and the breeze in spring that will inspire minds, warm hearts, cultivate taste and clean up undesirable work styles," he said.

Like a Supreme Court Reenactment?

Maybe not.

Churches hewn from rock

...[Ethiopian king] Lalibela envisioned a dozen churches carved from stone — not made of stones, but each one literally carved out of one unbroken rock with its roof at ground level.
Details on the construction process have been lost in the mists of time, but 13 churches were indeed built between the late 12th and 13th century. These were no simple structures — the rock-hewn churches had arched windows, moldings with religious symbols, and murals covering the interior walls. Built on either side of a trench — which was named the River Jordan in recognition of the new holy city — they connected to one another through a series of tunnels.

In the ensuing centuries, seismic shifts, erosion, and water have severely damaged the churches. But the last one to be built — Bete Giyorgis, or the Church of St. George — remains spectacular. Extending 40 feet down into the stone and shaped like a cross, Bete Giyorgis continues to draw Christian pilgrims and curious tourists.

-Slate
-Atlas Obscura
-Google Images