Monday 2 February 2009

OBJECT: CHAIR (part 1)

The chair I chose was the 'Mies Chair' designed by Archizoom Associati in 1969 and manufactured by Poltranova.
I originally chose this one because I thought the latex deck-chair style seat part was actually a metal panel (on a black n white photo), thus making the chair highly impractical and awkward.
I found it funny and was a little disappointed to find out that it's latex.
Oh well.



I couldn't really find many pictures of Archizoom Associati, and the one I did find was tiny and only showed 4 out of 6 of my chair's designers... So I made the other 2 up completely.


I looked at geometric architectural styles as these would have been the optimum surroundings for the Mies chair.
Also furniture designed around the same time period.

and the combination of the last 2, cumulating in researching late 60s interiors.
Here's the chair in one of the rooms.
This was a strange interior, with a foam floor that you and all yer hippy mates would sit around on having a mass debate in the late 60s.
In 1969, the following was going on:

Charlie Manson & co. are hacking bods up all over the shop. Sharon Tate in particular.
Sly & The Family Stone release their "Stand" LP
The infamous Woodstock festival takes place
A badly drawn Led Zeppelin release their first 2 albums.
Jimi Hendrix is arrested for posession of narcotics.
First artificial heart transplant
The halfpenny is no longer legal tender
and more importantly than the moon landing,
BLACK SABBATH FORM.
About time!!!
Who did the chair belong to?
Well I couldn't find any images of the actual people, but i found a museum's website with names of donators and suchlike so I just drew what I imagined they would look like.


There were only 3 names though, so again, I just made the rest up based on stereotypes of 60s people who might be able to afford such a beaut.





What was it made from / How was it made?

Funny you should ask.

Pony skin, for one. Acquired by skinning ponies
Chromed steel, made through smelting i would guess and put together using welding.
Latex, made from oil, by melting?
Glass (light bulbs), made by heating sand.












I think This section of the project went successfully, I used "1000 chairs" from the library to find a chair and then researched more about the year using wikipedia. I then gathered imagery to adapt from books in the library (some "rock" books or other, a book of stills from roman polanski's film about manson, etc etc..)
For a research project i reckon i got it about right.

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