Request to view

This object can be requested via email from the Prints & Drawings Study Room

Design for Pylon Chair

Design
1991 (designed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This is an early example of a two-dimensional CAD printout, which was not generally used by furniture and product designers until the late 1990s. The benefits of wokring out three dimensional objects on screen, however, were quickly appreciated and soon led to the wide use of three-dimensional CAD.

From the early 1980s, Tom Dixon had been working with scrap metal in an ad hoc manner, welding 'ready-made' objects into furniture which had overtones of the Post-industrial look. The 'Pylon' chair challenges preconceptions of furniture materials and structure, making overt references to industrial engineering, and is an example of unusual, high-designed furniture.

Delve deeper

Discover more about this object
read A history of collecting digital objects at the V&A

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleDesign for Pylon Chair (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Computer-aided design (CAD) printout on paper
Brief description
Tom Dixon; computer-aided design (2D CAD) design printout for Pylon Chair, 1991
Physical description
2D computer-aided design (CAD) printout on paper for Pylon Chair with inscriptions (see Marks/Subjects) and notes relating to size and construction. A post-it note (inscribed 'Monday night' ) is stuck to the top left hand side above top view of design
Dimensions
  • Height: 1005mm
  • Width: 705mm
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'Pylon chair / do not scale / 2.4mm steel wire' (Top left; computer-aided design)
  • 'NORM / 253 - 2534' (writing (processes); ballpoint pen)
  • 'Tom / Dixon' (Signature; Bottom right; writing (processes); ballpoint pen)
Subject depicted
Summary
This is an early example of a two-dimensional CAD printout, which was not generally used by furniture and product designers until the late 1990s. The benefits of wokring out three dimensional objects on screen, however, were quickly appreciated and soon led to the wide use of three-dimensional CAD.

From the early 1980s, Tom Dixon had been working with scrap metal in an ad hoc manner, welding 'ready-made' objects into furniture which had overtones of the Post-industrial look. The 'Pylon' chair challenges preconceptions of furniture materials and structure, making overt references to industrial engineering, and is an example of unusual, high-designed furniture.
Collection
Accession number
E.454-1999

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdNovember 10, 1999
Record URL
Download as: JSON