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The evolution of Michael Thonet’s work following his death in the 20th and 21st century



The evolution of Michael Thonet’s work following his death in the 20th and 21st century

Thonet is the father and the pioneer of bent wood. This technique was invented in 1842 after he was granted the right to bend any type of wood. Michael Thonet made use of various techniques to bend wood to create interior furniture. One of the successful technique was by putting pressure on the material and apply steam until the resin dissolved, this gave him the ability to shape the wooden rod how he desired. With this type of technique, the first bent wood chair ‘No.14’ was introduced.


                                                        'No.14' by Micheal Thonet
                                https://www.pinterest.com/pin/496381190151924649/

 This chair is made from materials that were competitive during the 19th century. This chair was the most famous one due to its structure, it was easy to assemble the pieces together.

After the death of Thonet, his technique continued to evolve and improve. From Germany, this technique travels to the United states of America in the 20th Century. The wood bending technique influenced various designers.
Ray and Charles Eames started to use this technique in their designed work in the 1940s. By that time machinery was upgraded and there was various man-made wood that was mass produced. Noticed by the military, Eames was asked and commissioned to design military stretchers, splints, and aircraft parts to use during war. These stretchers were made of bent plywood. This material was chosen due to its strength to carry a person and it was light weight to carry around.
After war, Charles and Ray Eames continued to design and mass produce aggregate shaped chairs. In their work, they used various type of materials to enhance their designs. To make them more luxurious they made use of leather and foam.

                                         'Lounge Chair and Ottoman' by Ray & Charles Eames
                                       https://www.vitra.com/en-pl/product/lounge-chair


The ‘lounge Chair’ is made from real leather, moulded ebony veneer plywood and aluminium for the base. Eames did not only produce interior furniture but they also made Art sculptures using bent plywood.





 ‘A highly important and Unique Plywood sculpture’ – 1943 Charles and Ray Eames http://www.eamesoffice.com/the-work/plywood-sculpture/


Both the German Thonet Craftsman and American Eames designers left a great impact behind them. Now a day (21st Century) Designers worldwide are influenced by these great examples from the past. Many designers use the same wood bending technique, some of them use the traditional method and others the latest advanced technology and machinery in the industry.

21st Century designer, Constance Guisset, designed a rocking chair called ‘Dancing chair ‘using the same principles and method. She uplifted her structure by adding upholstery and to make it more ergonomically comfortable, the designer used high density foam. The purpose behind this chair is for one to lounge on.







                                             'Dancing Chair' 2007 by Constance Guisset
           http://www.constanceguisset.com/fr/creations/Design/Prototypes/dancing-chair 

Another designer that evolved the bending wood technique in his design is Wolfgang C.R. Mezger. He created ‘Pala’ chair which has a mixture of materials. It is made from bent steel from one piece of metal and another solid wood piece to make the seat and its back. Also the designer incorporates fabric and foam to make it more comfortable.







                                                  'Pala' 2014 by Wolfgang C.R. Mezger
                                                     http://leibal.com/furniture/pala/
Reference: 

'Thonet' by Unknown updated in 2015
 - [information] http://www.thonet.com.au/history/ accessed on 18th March 2017 at 12.04pm

'Charles and Ray' by Unkown updated in 2016
 - [information]http://www.eamesoffice.com/eames-office/charles-and-ray/ accessed on 18 th March 2017 at 1.08pm 

- 'Pala' 2014 by Wolfgang C.R. Mezger Published:
    [image]http://leibal.com/furniture/pala/ accessed on: 18th March 2017 at 12.17pm

 -'Dancing Chair' 2007 by Constance Guisset Published: 
 [image]http://www.constanceguisset.com/fr/creations/Design/Prototypes/dancing-chair accessed on :18th March 2017 at 1.30pm

- ‘A highly important and Unique Plywood sculpture’ – 1943 Charles and Ray Eames Published:
[image]http://www.eamesoffice.com/the-work/plywood-sculpture/accessed on:18th March 2017 at  2.21pm

-Lounge Chair and Ottoman' by Ray & Charles Eames Published: 
 [image]https://www.vitra.com/en-pl/product/lounge-chair accessed on : 18th March 2017 at 2.46pm

 -'No.14' by Micheal Thonet Published: 
[image]https://www.pinterest.com/pin/496381190151924649/ accessed on:18th March 2017 at 3.33pm


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