Please be seated
Of all the everyday objects we take for granted, the humble chair holds a special place in the human psyche. But, whether they be the powerful thrones occupied by royalty, a favourite relaxing or dining item or what we sit on to earn a living.
Alessandro Mendini claims that the evolution of Italian chair design since the 15th century has been so significant that through their history, we are able to study the entire history of design and even, of Italian art itself.
This Milanese designer, architect and important figure in the development of Italian design - ranging from graphics, furniture and interiors to paintings and buildings – should know. Not only did he design the incredible “Proust Chair” that has been widely lauded and copied globally, but he is the curator of the exhibition “The Italian Way of Seating” that will be staged in Sydney and Brisbane.
The chairs to be featured showcase Italian design from 1950 to 2000 and the exhibition is being presented by The Italian Trade Commission as part of the Sydney Italian Festival. The impact of the chairs has been so significant, that they are all still being manufactured. But, as with any objects of desire and beauty, beware of fakes out there in the marketplace. Some of the exhibits will be instantly recognisable because cheap, poor quality copies have been allowed to creep into sales outlets.
The effects of this can be profound back in Italy. In the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, one industrial area relies on a network of small to medium businesses to make more than 44 million chairs a year and 80 per cent of them are exported.
The region’s Regional Minister for Productive Activities, Enrico Bertossi, points out that this sector is of such importance that several years ago a law was passed to protect and develop the “chair district.” An environmental project has also been launched to ensure the manufacturers move towards the use of more eco-friendly materials and the generation of less waste.
It is a far cry from the three-legged wooden chair with its slightly curved back that emerged in the 15th century. Mendini projects that forward to what we are seeing in the current exhibition. In the post-World War 11 1950s, he says, young architects could not find work in the building industry and began designing objects that were often manufactured in small businesses owned by friends. What he calls this “system of objects” had come from poverty and memories of war and a dynamic new creativity emerged.
In the 1960s, changes in production and greater social organisation in Italy led to “excessive consumerism” and what Mendini calls “the introduction of non-biodegradable plastic.” In the mid-1970s, amid political unrest, a radicalism emerged through design. Mendini was a key member of the “Studio Alchimia” and the Radical Design Movement at this time. “Wanting to wipe out the excessive productivity of the industrial world, this movement re-proposed a sort of primordial craftsmanship: the concrete use of one’s hands, the rediscovery of the trades, the link with Arte Povera,” he says. The 1980s and 1990s saw a move towards “counter-design” and the subsequent “post-industrial industry” was noted for “small, basic and almost futile objects.” In more recent times, there has been a proliferation of simple goods, “with a high degree of stylistic quality, but a very low level of labour intensity.”
Mendini has offered the chairs in this exhibition as small pieces of “architecture” whose design has tested the mettle of famous artists, great architects and renowned designers.
The exhibition will be held at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre from 4 to 14 October, 9am-5pm and at Euroluce, 2 Hill Street, Surry Hills, Sydney from 20 to 29 October. Admission is free.