Project 1 'ReVisit' -Funiture Design History (Part 2)

Detailed investigation

Selected chair: "Wiggle side chair" designed by Frank O. Gehry

Exploded perspective view of the chair, and detail of material and manufacturing process.

Frank Gehry is a one of leading architect in the world well known for his use of unusual materials.

One of his best-known piece of architecture is Guggenheim Museum in Spain covered with curved titanium panels. His designs are very curvy and interesting shape, or perhaps wired shape. They don’t reflect the belief that form follows function.

Gehry says he is very much inspired by fish. He interested about the fact millions of years ago human were fish, and started sketching them in his sketchbook and started to realize that there was something in it.

Furniture using cardboard exist from early 1960s, however most of them tend to hide the cardboard inside with paint and/or other materials to give the same look as traditional wooden furniture. 

The “Wiggle side chair” is a part of his series of furniture “Easy Edges” produced from 1969-1973. The concept of the series is to give a new and surprising aesthetic dimension to corrugated cardboard. Gehry revealed the section of cardboard to outside and even emphasized them by using curvature.  The corrugation of in the section of cardboard is just beautiful. beautiful as wood grains and other materials.

Hardboard facing is applied to the furniture's flat surfaces to add to the durability of the designs.
Also from sustainable view, cardboard is an environmental friendly choice.