Soft Little Heavy
Chair
1991 (designed), 1993 (made)
1991 (designed), 1993 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The designer Ron Arad was born in Israel, and studied at London's Architectural Association. From the 1980s onwards, Arad often produced furniture and lighting from salvaged materials, transforming 'found' objects into limited edition furniture.
'Soft Little Heavy' is an interpretation of Arad's earlier design, 'Little Heavy' (an example of which is in the V&A's collection, W.17-1993). Arad transformed his early metal version of the chair, made from beaten steel and produced in his own workshop, into an upholstered version to be made by the Italian manufacturer Moroso. Although the volume and shape of the original design was retained, the change of material, from beaten metal to upholstery, radically alters the character of the chair. The re-creation of a radical, one-off design as a manufactured commodity suitable for mass-consumption was typical of the appetite of the design market towards the end of the 20th century.
'Soft Little Heavy' is an interpretation of Arad's earlier design, 'Little Heavy' (an example of which is in the V&A's collection, W.17-1993). Arad transformed his early metal version of the chair, made from beaten steel and produced in his own workshop, into an upholstered version to be made by the Italian manufacturer Moroso. Although the volume and shape of the original design was retained, the change of material, from beaten metal to upholstery, radically alters the character of the chair. The re-creation of a radical, one-off design as a manufactured commodity suitable for mass-consumption was typical of the appetite of the design market towards the end of the 20th century.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Soft Little Heavy (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Steel frame with upholstered foam |
| Brief description | model Soft Little Heavy; British/Italian 1993 Ron Arad for Moroso |
| Physical description | Steel frame covered in high density cold foam injection, upholstered in Divina wool fabric, no. 782 electric blue. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Style | |
| Production type | Mass produced |
| Gallery label | Section text and caption from Ron Arad: Before and After Now exhibition, 12 June - 1 October 2000:
Soft Stuff
The 'Spring Collection' (for Moroso in 1990), was initially a transformation of the metal volume and sprung pieces into a commercial upholstered range. The metal Big Easy was a paraphrase of an over-stuffed armchair - the Soft Big Easy is an over-stuffed armchair!
The 'Spring Collection' marked the first stage of what was to become a typical working method of Ron Arad's, where precious studio pieces served as research and development tools to accessible industrial products.
The 'Misfits', Sof-Sof's and Victoria & Albert Collection followed the vocabulary of the 'Spring Collection', but were created in the factory.
Soft Little Heavy
Chair
Upholstered foam
Made by Moroso, Udine, Italy
Since 1990
V&A Museum Number: W.6-1994 |
| Production | Reason For Production: Retail |
| Summary | The designer Ron Arad was born in Israel, and studied at London's Architectural Association. From the 1980s onwards, Arad often produced furniture and lighting from salvaged materials, transforming 'found' objects into limited edition furniture. 'Soft Little Heavy' is an interpretation of Arad's earlier design, 'Little Heavy' (an example of which is in the V&A's collection, W.17-1993). Arad transformed his early metal version of the chair, made from beaten steel and produced in his own workshop, into an upholstered version to be made by the Italian manufacturer Moroso. Although the volume and shape of the original design was retained, the change of material, from beaten metal to upholstery, radically alters the character of the chair. The re-creation of a radical, one-off design as a manufactured commodity suitable for mass-consumption was typical of the appetite of the design market towards the end of the 20th century. |
| Associated object | W.17-1993 (Version) |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.6-1994 |
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| Record created | January 3, 2001 |
| Record URL |
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