WASHINGTON, D.C.- Industry Gallery presents FlexibleLove, on view from May 14 through July 2, 2011. The exhibition features FlexibleLove™ furniture, a collection of seating incorporating an accordion-like, honeycomb structure, made mostly from widely‐available recycled paper and wood waste that allows the works to be easily manipulated into different shapes. With a simple pull at either end, this durable seating can be extended to accommodate up to 20 people, manipulated in “ess” shapes, circles and irregular forms, and contracted into a single chair for easy storage. FlexibleLove™, manufactured by Pinzaan Company Limited in Taiwan, was first developed in 2005 by Taiwanese designer furniture Chishen Shiu while a student at the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology. It is now available in the United States exclusively through Industry Gallery.

The name FlexibleLove™ is derived from the concept of a “flexible love seat” and the work is made entirely of readily accessible and eco‐friendly materials such as post-consumer recycled paper, post‐industrial wood waste and environmentally derived glues. The accordion‐like honeycomb structure allows each unit to be easily expanded and contracted into different configurations. The use of honeycomb structure paper in furniture is relatively new, but has been used in building, packaging, scientific and other applications for more than a century. Industry exhibits five different works from the collection, in white and neutral tones. FlexibleLove™ has proven very durable in home, work and institutional settings. For example, FlexibleLove™ seating has been in constant use for three straight years at the Taiwan National Museum of Fine Art, which receives more than 200,000 visitors annually. The work is designed to accommodate people weighing up to 120 kilos, or 264 pounds, so the largest unit can accommodate 20 people each weighing 120 kilos, and to withstand an average of 200,000 impressions.

“FlexibleLove weds the recycling of mundane materials with intelligent engineering and a brilliant idea to yield a WOW piece of fun design,” said Industry Gallery owner Craig Appelbaum. “Once you’ve seen and tried FlexibleLove, you will never ever look at a chair in the same way.”