How was this chair made?
This chair was made with laminated strips of white maple. The wood was boiled until its resins softened, allowing strips to be molded into place. The technique for bending wood is an old one - it was originally used for building ships and barrels!
What can you tell me about this chair?
This chair's model is called "Power Play" and was designed by Frank Gehry and manufactured by Knoll. Gehry, is one of the most celebrated architects of the second half of the 20th century.
He was inspired by the surprising strength of a wooden bushel basket in this piece. He sought to integrate the material into the design to create a structurally and aesthetically "light" product.
Could you please tell me about this chair?
This chair, called "Power Play" was designed by the architect Frank Gehry! It is made of laminated maple strips there were steamed and bent into continuous strips of "S" shaped wood! You can see how cleverly it is put together. The basket-like pattern is strong and supportive, despite feeling so light and airy.
I'd like to know of works that this chair influenced/was influenced by. Could you give me some references please? Thank you.
Yes, I would be happy to! This chair is by the architect Frank Gehry and was designed in 1991. The "Power Play" chair is made of bent sheets of laminated maple. The designer was influenced by a long tradition of bent wood and laminate furniture. One of the most influential creators of bentwood furniture was Michael Thonet. Thonet (who was working in Austria) began bending wood using hot steam in the 1830s.. We have a beautiful rocking chair by him on view on the fourth floor.
Thank you so much! I'll go to check the rocking chair by Thonet too.
Great! Another very influential maker of bent plywood furniture can be seen in the Luce Center, nearby. Ray and Charles Eames are a husband and wife team who built a machine for molding plywood in their garage. They called the machine the Kazam! machine. During World War I they used their machine to make molded plywood leg splints to help injured soldiers. After the war they made chairs, including their famous lounge chair. Both the chair and the leg splint are on view in the Luce Center.
Thanks for so much information!
Is this by the the same artist who made the "'Current' Chair"?
No, but good guess! This is called the "Power Play Chair," and was designed by famed architect Frank Gehry! The “Current” chair was designed by Vivien Beer. They definitely share an aesthetic and Beer most likely was aware of Gehry’s design, which was made a decade earlier.
So cool!
