"Her neon mouth with the blinkers-off smile / Nothing but an electric sign / You could say she has an individual style /She's part of a colorful time." Psychedelic rock pioneers Jefferson Airplane released the song "Plastic Fantastic Lover" the same year the world received Blow, the first mass-produced inflatable chair. It was designed by the Milan-based studio of De Pas, D'Urbino, and Lomazzi and manufactured through a new technique, electronic welding, by the young Italian firm Zanotta. This icon of 1960s Pop furniture embodies the revolutionary spirit of its time. It is a youthful, playful expression of the free, casual life-style and culture of ephemerality associated with this period. And, executed in candy-colored PVC plastic, it was far more affordable than other contemporary works of "high-style" Italian design.
Gallery label from Shaping Modernity: Design 1880-1980, December 23, 2009–July 25, 2010 .
The lightweight and cheap Blow was manufactured through a new technique—electronic welding—by the young Italian firm Zanotta. This icon of 1960s Pop furniture embodies the revolutionary spirit of its time in its rejection of the bourgeois idea of furniture as solid, heavy, and long-lasting. It is a youthful, playful expression of the free, casual lifestyle and culture of ephemerality associated with this period. And, executed in candy-colored PVC plastic, it was far more affordable than other contemporary works of "high-style" Italian design. Despite its cult status, however, consumers disliked the fact that PVC quickly became hot and tended to stick to your legs.
Gallery label from From the Collection: 1960-69, March 26, 2016 - March 12, 2017.
