User:JulietUlehake
Fantastic Forgeries
Juliet Ulehake, 0914931
Chosen Artefact
Knotted Chair, Marcel Wanders
- Year: 1996
- Brand: Droog
- Material: carbon and aramid fibres , epoxy resin
- Product Size: 50 x 64 x 74 cm
Macramé was a popular handicraft pastime in the 1970s, but has since acquired a somewhat fusty image. In 1996, Marcel Wanders surprised the design world by developing a chair that was completely knotted in this way. Instead of the traditional rough sisal rope, he used ultramodern reinforced aramide. This lightweight chair combines industrial techniques and handcrafting. The thread constructed of aramid and carbon fibres, is knotted into the shape of a chair and then impregnated with epoxy resin and hung in a frame to dry, leaving the final form in the hands of gravity.
Droog Design started out in 1993 as a collective presentation by young Dutch designers at the annual furniture fair in Milan. The overwhelming success led Gijs Bakker and Renny Ramakers to develop the collection further and set up the Droog Design Foundation. Since then Droog Design has become known for its lucid and original design approach. Droog Design develops experimental products with clients, manufacturers and designers. One example of this is Dry Tech, a collaborative project between designers and researchers in the aerospace department at Delft University of Technology. One of the things created there was this Knotted Chair by Marcel Wanders.
At first, I wasn't that impressed by this chair. I though, oh okay, nice. I was about to move on when I saw that the chair was only made of two materials: fibres and resin. That sparked my interest. How could something that is known to me as fragile create such a solid object? A bit more research and I found out this chair can hold a grown man. My mind was blown and made up, this was the artefact I would be working with over the next few weeks.
“The cord used to make the chair features a carbon core overbraided with aramid, a strong and lightweight synthetic material commonly used in the aerospace industry.” “The knotted pattern forms a space frame structure that is strong enough to support the weight of the person sitting in it.” “We had to make this chair in mid air, so we had to work with gravity, that it worked was a little miracle.”
