Introduction

The Squeeze Chair Project is based on the conversation and collaborative design work of artist Wendy Jacob with Temple Grandin, an internationally recognized animal scientist who was diagnosed with autism at the age of three. The show is centered on a 'prototype squeeze chair' that Jacob realized as a result of these conversations. 

Autism is a developmental disorder, an alteration in the systems which process incoming information, causing the person to over-react to some stimuli and under-react to others.

As an adolescent, Grandin designed and constructed a 'squeeze' or 'hug-machine' for herself. By mechanically applying an even pressure over the body, the squeeze machine can create a calming effect without the terror and over-stimulation of human touch. Grandin based her 'squeeze machine' on a cattle squeeze chute, a device designed to hold or restrain calves. 

Jacob and Grandin's discussions have been focussed on the possibilities for a 'squeeze chair' - a kind of squeeze machine deisgned for a seated person (one enters Grandin's squeeze machine on hands and knees) that could have application for a wider population. 

The Squeeze Chair Project is a work in progress and documents a stage in a conversation and joint investigation.