Electric Chairs by Robert Wilson for Kartell (at Teatro alla Scala, Milan)

Electric chairs… Need I say more? Apparently, yes, as it’s not what you probably think it is! Here, we’re talking about one good-looking showcase by Kartell – “7 Electric Chairs… As You Like It” at Teatro alla Scala in Milan:

The collection is a collaborative effort between Kartell and Robert Wilson, American director and stage designer, in celebration of Wilson’s 70th birthday. The seven chair-sculptures are made of transparent polycarbonate with white colored neon lights inserted inside.

Why 7 and why it’s the way we like it, you ask? Let’s hear it from the designer, Mr. Wilson himself:

“From the number seven. Seven days of the week. I am 70 years old, seven decades, seven deadly sins and there are many more references in philosophy, mathematics. Shakespeare’s play ‘As you like it’ contains the seven ages of man, there are seven dwarfs in Snow white and there is the soft drink 7UP. Seven has always been a number that interested me.”

The collection was on display at the “Arturo Toscanini” box foyer at the Teatro alla Scala di Milano in Milan, Italy, September 19-30.

1st image – chairs display, 2d & 3d images – chairs n1, 2, 3 & n5, 6, 7 respectively. Photos courtesy of Kartell.

Lavatory Seats at Blackrainbow Shop in Paris

Blackrainbow shop in Paris, France, offers fun seating for its customers. Should you want to try on a pair of shoes or just sit down, you’re supposed to sit on an actual lavatory pan. But no worries, these toilets are only used for seating.

Pictured here is yours truly back in June during my last trip to Paris. As you can see, we decided to improvise and provided me with a magazine for the spark of the moment mini photoshoot.

Aviator Chair by David Catta

Aviator Chair by David Catta

Aviator Chair by David Catta 2

Aviator Chair by David Catta 4

Aviator Chair by David Catta 3

This Aviator Chair by David Catta from Nelson, British Columbia, Canada, will be issued in a limited series of 5 and has 3000 hrs of work in it. Amazing!

David:

After spending three decades creating product designs and manufacturing process solutions in the field of custom industrial furnishings, I have had the opportunity to pursue my personal interest in artistic integration of aluminum, steel, wood, and polymers. Travelling in Europe and the United States, I was inspired by the work of other industrial designer/artists such as Mark Newson, and manufactured art objects such as Herman Miller’ Aeron chair (on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York).

With the Aviator series, I aspire to create an industrial sculpture evocative of early aviation that is functional, yet engages the viewer to embark on a journey – a journey to explore it’s seductive curvilinear shape, the handcrafted technical details that become visible through a slow walk-around, and the inner workings and subtleties that are revealed through the semi-transparent suspension fabric.

I do my own work and aim to achieve the highest possible level of proficiency with each material. I’ve spent over 3000 hours on design, building prototypes, crafting components, and completing Aviator 1. The process requires the mastering of technical skills and getting into the right head space for each phase of work. The work requires each element to merge together in perfect harmony: my ability to personally work each material and “flow” into the next is a gift I cherish and feel compelled to apply to my art.

There is no doubt in my mind that I am doing the right thing at this point in my life.

David Catta
November 12th, 2009

Ultra Lounge Chair by Steve Vowels

Ultra Lounge Chair by Steve Vowels 1

Ultra Lounge Chair by Steve Vowels 2

Ultra Lounge Chair by Steve Vowels

Found this Ultra Lounge Chair by Steve Vowels.

Regeneration: Fine Woodworkers Under 30: September 16, 2011 – November 22, 2011

Regeneration: Fine Woodworkers Under 30 is a juried exhibition co-produced by Fine Woodworking and the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship. The purpose of this show is to encourage the growth of the next generation of woodworkers and advance the careers of those with exceptional promise.

The jury reviewed 587 images by 150 entrants to select 22 outstanding objects for the exhibition. Winning entries are shown below. Jurors include: John Dunnigan, professor at the Rhode Island School of Design; Garrett Hack, Contributing Editor for Fine Woodworking; Anissa Kapsales, Associate Editor for Fine Woodworking; and Bill Hunter, Studio Wood Artist.

Via Woodschool

Bodywaves by Nobuho Nagasawa


Bodywaves is part of a chair installation together with a glass table and the artists umbilical cord in a petri dish and some gray hairs. The installation connects past and present for the artist. A rocking chair covered in optical fabric channels our dependence on water. A recorded video of ocean waves plays upon a chair that senses human heat once it is sat upon and glows brighter with the interaction.

Via Inhabitat New York City

About Nobuho Nagasawa

Based in New York City since 2001, Nobuho Nagasawa was born in Tokyo, and raised in Europe and Japan, and received her MFA at Hochschule der Künste in Berlin. She came to the United States as a visiting scholar through the invitation of California Institute of the Arts in 1986, where she studied visual art, critical theory and music. She is an interdisciplinary artist whose site-specific work explores the places, politics, ecology and psychological dimensions of space and people. Her work involves in-depth research into the cultural history and memory, and extensive community participation.