The Korean word jari can be translated as place, position or seat. The Jari by the designer Ha Jihoon derives from the traditional dotjari, a fine, portable mat made of tightly woven strips of sedge stems. In the Joseon dynasty (1392-1910), gentlemen-scholars often brought a small dotjari on their outings, which they would unroll for a rest, larger ones being used for social gatherings. Shoes were taken off before stepping on the mat, as when one enters a room.
Sedge products can be traced back to the Silla Kingdom (57BC-935AD), and among these commodities the dotjari was a popular item that appealed to the floor-sitting culture favoured on the Korean peninsula. Decorative mats were used both in and outdoors for ancestral rites or festive events.
Ha reinterprets the dotjari for contemporary lifestyle in Korea, where the longstanding tradition of floor-sitting still prevails. Evoking the image of a rock to lean on, his mat presents a hump on one end, under which lighting or an audio device can be accommodated. Sedge stems were replaced by synthetic resin cords for practicality, and these were woven by craftsmen in traditional basketry workshops in Seoul. Jari echoes thereby the personal space of rest and leisure of the Joseon dotjari.