Mutant Materials in Contemporary Design
It is difficult to think of a material that has been the object of as much design experimentation as wood, yet its character has somehow always remained intact. Through the centuries, wood has continued to be a point of reference, a synthesis of what nature can teach mankind about design.
Wood technology experienced a revolution in the 1960s with the enormous influx of particleboard panels, in which wood was ground and recomposed into a more homogenous and isotropic material. Today the research on moldable compounds is livelier than ever, spurred on by economic necessity and by concern for the world's limited resources. Silio Cardona, a Spanish engineer, has developed Maderón, a material made from finely ground almond shells, other wood particles, and resins and used to create chairs and lampshades. Rougher compounds are used by other designers to manufacture television shells and tables.
The technology of lamination, older and more developed than that of moldable compounds, has led to numerous innovations. One of these, imported from the aeronautical industry, is the lamination of wood veneers onto a layer of fabric that is then applied directly to foam, creating a feeling of soft wood. Lamination is also exploited in a recent furniture collection made with beautiful structural ribbons of bent maple.
Other composites are made by combining wood with interactive fibers to provide added resistance. Wood-core snowboards and hockey sticks, for instance, are fortified through the addition of "socks" and "blankets" made of fiberglass and graphite.
In all of these advanced objects, the appearance of wood is safeguarded as a precious asset, reinforcing the link between high-tech humans and the earth that has nurtured them.
Silio Cardona. Spanish, b. 1950
" Composite Material.
Alberto Lievore. Argentine, b. 1948
"Rothko" Chair. 1994 (1989)
Maderón composite material
Manufactured by Indartu, Spain
Lent by Maderón Promotion Agency, Barcelona
(photo courtesy Maderón Promotion Agency)
Joseph Novell. Spanish, b. 1953
Joseph Puig. Spanish, b. 1959
"Morris" Wall Lamp. 1994 (1992)
Maderón composite material
Manufactured by Vanlux S.a., Spain
Lent by Maderón Promotion Agency, Barcelona
(photo courtesy Maderón Promotion Agency)
Ramon Ubeda. Spanish, b. 1962
Juan Biosca. Spanish, b. 1949
"Silia" Modular Seating. 1994 (1994)
Maderón composite material
Manufactured by Lignocel S.a., Spain
Lent by Maderón Promotion Agency, Barcelona
Marco Ferreri. Italian, b. 1958
"Is" Stool. 1994 (1993)
Die-pressed Softwood, beech, and polyurethane foam
Manufactured by Nemo S.r.l., Italy
The Museum of Modern Art, gift of the manufacturer
"Less" Chair. 1994 (1993)
Die-pressed Softwood, beech, and polyurethane foam
Manufactured by Nemo S.r.l., Italy
Lent by Nemo S.r.l., New York
(photos by Roberto Sellitto, courtesy Nemo S.r.l.)
The chair and stool designs by Marco Ferreri utilize the technology of Softwood, a thermally bonded and pressure-molded laminate of fabric and wood padded with a sheet of polyurethane foam. A surprisingly soft, flexible seating surface is created. A polyurethane sheet is placed in the center of the seat and back, and the Softwood is attached at the perimeter by hot die-pressing. The fabric becomes soft and acts as an adhesive at high temperatures, eliminating the need for a glue additive. Ferreri's minimalist design statement places technology on a pedestal. The manufacturer, Nemo, has been assigned the exclusive rights to the process for the furniture industry, although a technologically advanced material similar to Softwood has appeared in the production of leather fashion accessories.
Frank O. Gehry.
American, b. Canada 1929
"Cross Check" Armchair. 1992 (1990)
High-bonding-urea laminated and bent white-maple strips
Manufactured by The Knoll Group, United States
The Museum of Modern Art, New York, gift of the designer and the manufacturer
(photo by Joshua White, courtesy Frank O. Gehry and Associates)
Howatt Archery
"ML-18 Bushmaster" Longbow. 1991 (1991)
Ovangkol wood, American red elm, and clear fiberglass
"ML-14 Mountaineer" Longbow. 1995 (1994)
Zebrano wood, American red elm, clear fiberglass, and leather
Manufactured by Martin Archery, United States
Lent by Martin Archery, Walla Walla, Wash.
Krohn Design
"Tuffet" Stool. 1994 (1994)
Maple plywood, closed-cell polyurethane foam, stainless steel, and mohair-velvet upholstery
Manufactured by Abbott Enterprises, United States
Lent by Krohn/Abbott Unlimited, Los Angeles
(photos by Lisa Krohn)
Parallel Design Partnership
Ali Tayar. Turkish, b. 1959
Table. (1994)
Molded particleboard, glass top, and hardwood legs
Prototype
Lent by Ali Tayar, New York
Philippe Starck. French, b. 1949
"Jim Nature" Television Set. 1993 (1993)
Sawdust, formol-free glue, water-based paint, and other materials
Manufactured by Thomson Consumer Electronics for SABA, France
Lent by Thomson Consumer Electronics, Courbevole, France
(photos by Donato Di Bello, courtesy Domus Archives)
The Christian Brothers, Inc.
"1980 Medalist" Hockey Stick. 1994 (1994)
Laminated aspen, unidirectional fiberglass, and
Diamond Design Slapsock
graphite-fiberglass blend
"100 Super Pro Lite" Hockey Stick. 1986 (1986)
Laminated poplar and white ash, and Diamond Design Slapsock graphite-fiberglass blend
"Puck Master" Hockey Stick Blades. 1990 (1990)
White ash and Diamond Design Slapsock graphite-fiberglass blend
"3030" Hockey Stick. 1992 (1992)
Aspen and white ash, graphite, and Diamond Design Slapsock graphite-fiberglass blend
Manfactured by The Christian Brothers, Inc., United States
Lent by The Christian Brothers, Inc., Warroad, Minn.
(photos courtesy The Christian Brothers)
DNR Sportsystem
Shaw Kaake. American, b. 1962
"H-Type 156 XXX" Santa Cruz Snowboard. 1994 (1993)
Poplar, fiberglass, stainless-steel threaded insert, ABS, UHMW (ultra-high-molecular weight) high-density polyethylene, hardened carbon-steel edges, rubber, and ABS-polyurethane-blend transparent top surface with lacquer backprinted silk screening and heat-cured epoxy resin
Manufactured by Authier Ski, Switzerland
Lent by Santa Cruz Snowboards (NHS, Inc.), Santa Cruz
Introduction
Glass
Plastics
Fibers and Composites
Metals
Rubber and Foam
Ceramics
Other MaterialsEvents and Publication
Acknowledgments
About the Exhibition
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