While working as a draughtsman in his vacations, Charles Eames was studying architecture at Washington University, St. Louis. It wasn't long enough until he dropped out and in 1938 he was offered a fellowship at the Cranbrook Academy of Art. Two years later he was appointed head of Cranbrook's industrial design department. It was here where he met his future wife Ray Kaiser who was a student at Cranbrook and previously studied painting and weaving.
Ray assisted Charles together with Eero Saarinen with their entries for a competition of Organic Design in Home Furnishings which they won in 1940. This led them to two manufacturing techniques; the moulding of plywood into complex curves and cycle-welding.
In 1941, Charles married Ray and both moved in an apartment in California where they began to experiment with new techniques for the moulding of plywood. They invented the "Kazam! Machine" after the saying "Ala Kazam!" as the plywood formed in the mould like magic.
With the aid of this machine, Ray and Charles produced their first mass manufactured product; the plywood leg splint which was based on a plaster mould of Charles' own leg. Due to the World War injuries, the US Navy commissioned Ray and Charles where they produced 150.000 splints in a rented studio out of their apartment.
Bending of plywood
Kazam! Machine Moulded Leg Splint
While experimenting with the Kazam! Machine, Charles came along some difficulties which resulted into mistakes and damaging of wood. Then he figured out to make holes on the plywood to release the tension which they also served as a placed where the bandages will go.
Having made success with these splint, Ray and Charles had one thing in mind; to apply the lessons of the splints to the failed plywood chairs. Before they urge about the look of the chair they will go deep into their designs for not making the same mistakes again.
Injured man using the leg splint
Following the bending of plywood, they introduced the moulded fibreglass chairs and won second prize at MoMA'S International Competition for Low-Cost Furniture Design. Charles always had in mind to make "the best for the most for the least" and with the creation of the innovative fibreglass chair, this was amongst the first unlined plastic seating furniture to be mass produced.
Quote from the movie "The Architect and The Painter" DAR Chair, plastic
Later on, these plastic chairs influenced other designers for its lightweight material, strong and affordable. One of which is the Italian Modernista Vico Magistretti who produced the first one-piece plastic chair in 1969.
Selene, 1969
"As the greatest exponents of Organic Design and two of the most important designers of the 20th century, Charles and Ray Eames demonstrated through practice how modern design can and should be used to improve the quality of life, human perception, understanding and knowledge." (Fiell, 2013, p.232)
References:
The Architect and The Painter. 2011. [video] Directed by Jason Cohn and Bill Jersey. USA: Village studios, Santa Monica (Narrated by James Franco)
designboom, 2010. The monobloc plastic chair. [image online] Available at: http://www.designboom.com/history/monobloc.html [Accessed 30th November 2013]
The Conran Shop, 2013. Eames DAR Armchair. [image online] Available at: http://www.conranshop.co.uk/431705/EAMES-DAR-CHAIR-WHITE/Product [Accessed 30th November 2013]
Herman Miller, 2013. Hewitt National Design Museum. [image online] Available at: http://blog.hermanmillerasia.com/post/2013/01/07/herman-miller-looks-at-cooper-hewitt-national-design-museum/ [Accessed 30th November 2013]
Alex, n.d. Kazam Machine. [image online] Available at: http://makearchitecture.wordpress.com/2-schedule/0405-formwork/ [Accessed 30th November 2013]
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