Ply-Chair
Chair
1989 (designed)
1989 (designed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Towards the end of the 1980s a new spirit of functionalism and simplicity was perceived in the design of furniture, and one of the chief protagonists was Jasper Morrison.
In 1988, Morrison participated in Designwerkstatt Berlin, part of the city's programme of events during its term as European City of Culture. His installation, 'Some New Items for the Home, Part I' at the DAAD Gallery featured a sparsely furnished room with just a few deceptively simple objects: a table, three chairs, and three green glass bottles. Later, Morrison commented: 'The main reason the Plywood Chair looks the way it does is that I had to make it myself, and the only equipment I had was an electric jigsaw and some ‘ship’s curves’. So it became a project to cut shapes out of a plywood sheet and reassemble them to make something three-dimensional. I found that by using a thin sheet of ply for the seat and curving the cross bars below it, I could achieve a cushioning effect, which in some way compensates for other, less accommodating features. After that I did a model with the back filled in, which was more comfortable but less exciting.' One year after the exhibition in Berlin, Vitra began to produce both versions of the chair.
This plywood chair embodies Morrison's approach. It is reduced to a very simple shape, merely a seat, four legs and the outline of the back, made from humble undecorated plywood. In a sense it can be compared to a sketch of a chair, since it appears to comprise only the most essential and primary elements needed to construct one. But a closer look reveals that it is a far from simplistic design. While the front legs and seat appear to be geometric and right-angled, the shape of the chair back and rear legs are fluid, like a freehand drawing, or the profile of a stringed instrument like a guitar or violin. The controlled curvaceousness of this part of the chair adds sensousness to what could otherwise be an overly simplistic design.
In 1988, Morrison participated in Designwerkstatt Berlin, part of the city's programme of events during its term as European City of Culture. His installation, 'Some New Items for the Home, Part I' at the DAAD Gallery featured a sparsely furnished room with just a few deceptively simple objects: a table, three chairs, and three green glass bottles. Later, Morrison commented: 'The main reason the Plywood Chair looks the way it does is that I had to make it myself, and the only equipment I had was an electric jigsaw and some ‘ship’s curves’. So it became a project to cut shapes out of a plywood sheet and reassemble them to make something three-dimensional. I found that by using a thin sheet of ply for the seat and curving the cross bars below it, I could achieve a cushioning effect, which in some way compensates for other, less accommodating features. After that I did a model with the back filled in, which was more comfortable but less exciting.' One year after the exhibition in Berlin, Vitra began to produce both versions of the chair.
This plywood chair embodies Morrison's approach. It is reduced to a very simple shape, merely a seat, four legs and the outline of the back, made from humble undecorated plywood. In a sense it can be compared to a sketch of a chair, since it appears to comprise only the most essential and primary elements needed to construct one. But a closer look reveals that it is a far from simplistic design. While the front legs and seat appear to be geometric and right-angled, the shape of the chair back and rear legs are fluid, like a freehand drawing, or the profile of a stringed instrument like a guitar or violin. The controlled curvaceousness of this part of the chair adds sensousness to what could otherwise be an overly simplistic design.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Ply-Chair (manufacturer's title) |
| Materials and techniques | Laminated plywood, with birch face veneer, metal screws |
| Brief description | Ply-chair with open back designed by Jasper Morrison, 1989 |
| Physical description | Rectilinear plywood chair with open back. The chair consists of 10 individual plywood elements, screwed together. Two upside down L-shapes form front legs and side seat rails. These are screwed directly to the back legs. The legs are connected to each other by front and back seat rails. The legs rise and slightly arch inwards towards the seat, then out again along the back, and are slightly tapered at each end. The back uprights are connected by a slender top rail which gently curves outwards. The front legs are straight, slightly tapered to the bottom and wider at the sides. The plywood grain is visible the front and back edges of all the supports. The flat plywood seat is supported on the seat rails and held in place by a cross shape screwed into the side rails but with a small amount of space beneath the centre of the seat offering flexibility. All corners and joins of the chair are composed of crisp right angles. All the screws are intentionally visible. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Production type | Mass produced |
| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Given by Vitra |
| Object history | A version of this chair was exhibited by Jasper Morrison at the 'Some new items for the house' installation at the DAAD gallery in Berlin as contribution to the Werkstadt Berlin in 1988. The intention of the installation was to design a number of objects which, put together, would imply a room. Morrison achieved this by using the most basic materials in the most obvious way. It was seen by Rolf Fehlbaum, the owner of Vitra. Sponsored by Vitra, the installation was next presented at the gallery Fac-simile in Milan. In 1989 Vitra began manufacturing this chair, as part of its limited edition 'Edition' range. Jasper Morrison in Jasper Morrison, Everything but the walls, Baden 2002, p.16f.: 'The main reason the Plywood Chair looks the way it does is that I had to make it myself, and the only equipment I had was an electric jigsaw and some "ship's curves".So it became a project to cut shapes out of a plywood sheet and reassemble them to make something 3-dimensional. I found that by using a thin sheet of ply for the seat and curving the cross bars below it, I could achieve a cushioning effect, which in some way compensates for other, less accommodating features. After that I did a model with the back filled in, which was more comfortable but less exciting.' Historical significance: The design is one of Jasper Morrison's most influential designs: its spareness and simplicity is in the Modernist tradition but his use of the material and its natural colour represent a more human version of Modernism. It avoids the grand gesture or any kind of extravagance. The design summarised what would become the concerns of 1990s design, introducing a new type of Modernism, that was softer, sparer, purer, more natural. |
| Historical context | By the early 1990s, British furniture had become admired and imitated throughout the European design world for the first time since the turn of the century. Within Britain itself, the image most associated with contemporary furniture is that of 'craft' furniture, i.e. hand made furniture or furniture made in small batches that espouses craft values. Within the international context of the avant-garde furniture trade, it is British furniture designed for manufacture that has garnered attention. One of the best know British designer of such furniture is Jasper Morrison. |
| Production | Manufactured by Vitra for 'Edition' range. Attribution note: Manufactured by Vitra for 'Edition' range. |
| Association | |
| Summary | Towards the end of the 1980s a new spirit of functionalism and simplicity was perceived in the design of furniture, and one of the chief protagonists was Jasper Morrison. In 1988, Morrison participated in Designwerkstatt Berlin, part of the city's programme of events during its term as European City of Culture. His installation, 'Some New Items for the Home, Part I' at the DAAD Gallery featured a sparsely furnished room with just a few deceptively simple objects: a table, three chairs, and three green glass bottles. Later, Morrison commented: 'The main reason the Plywood Chair looks the way it does is that I had to make it myself, and the only equipment I had was an electric jigsaw and some ‘ship’s curves’. So it became a project to cut shapes out of a plywood sheet and reassemble them to make something three-dimensional. I found that by using a thin sheet of ply for the seat and curving the cross bars below it, I could achieve a cushioning effect, which in some way compensates for other, less accommodating features. After that I did a model with the back filled in, which was more comfortable but less exciting.' One year after the exhibition in Berlin, Vitra began to produce both versions of the chair. This plywood chair embodies Morrison's approach. It is reduced to a very simple shape, merely a seat, four legs and the outline of the back, made from humble undecorated plywood. In a sense it can be compared to a sketch of a chair, since it appears to comprise only the most essential and primary elements needed to construct one. But a closer look reveals that it is a far from simplistic design. While the front legs and seat appear to be geometric and right-angled, the shape of the chair back and rear legs are fluid, like a freehand drawing, or the profile of a stringed instrument like a guitar or violin. The controlled curvaceousness of this part of the chair adds sensousness to what could otherwise be an overly simplistic design. |
| Associated object | W.2-1995 (Version) |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.1-1995 |
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| Record created | January 7, 2003 |
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