Installation with muscle chair, in use since 1969and 2,346,246 performed testsBrigadmuseum, Karlstad

The installative work The Muscle Chair - An Apparatus forMeasuring Men by Björn Larsson & Carl Johan Eriksonshowcases a mechanical device developed to systematicallyevaluate the physiology and psychology of youngmen, categorising their potential for service in the Swedishmilitary. The chair was conceived to make the militaryenlistment procedure one of the most comprehensivecontrol systems of its kind. Between 1969 and 1997, ten ofthese so-called muscle chairs were used to measure themuscle strength of conscripts. The data collected overthese years are included in one of the world’s most extensivebiometric archives: the Enrollment Archive Register(Inskrivningsarkivregistret , or INSARK). The installa­ tionfeatures two video works that demonstrate the chair’s variouspossible uses and illustrate the extensive scope ofINSARK’s data collection.