Lecture: Furniture Design as Art: Eames Furniture History (Kalamazoo)
Of interest to a2modern!
Art League Lecture: Furniture Design as Art: Eames Furniture History
Dates: Wed Dec 12, 12
Time: 10:00am
Location:
Kalamazoo Institute of Arts
314 S. Park St., Kalamazoo, MI 49007
Kalamazoo, MI
Contact:
(269) 349-7775
Carla Atwood Hartman, the granddaughter of Charles and Ray Eames, will discuss the history of the famous Eames furniture design and lead a tour of Good Design: Stories from Herman Miller at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum after the lecture reception.
Free for Art League Members/$10 KIA Members/$12 general admission/$3 students with valid college ID.
Early in their careers together, Charles and Ray Eames identified the need for affordable, yet high-quality furniture for the average consumer — furniture that could serve a variety of uses. For forty years the Eameses experimented with ways to meet this challenge, designing flexibility into their compact storage units and collapsible sofas for the home; seating for stadiums, airports, and schools; and chairs for virtually anywhere.
Their chairs were designed for Herman Miller in four materials — molded plywood, fiberglass-reinforced plastic, bent and welded wire mesh, and cast aluminum. The conceptual backbone of this diverse work was the search for seat and back forms that comfortably support the human body, using three dimensionally shaped surfaces or flexible materials instead of cushioned upholstery. An ethos of functionalism informed all of their furniture designs. “What works is better than what looks good,” Ray said. “The looks good can change, but what works, works.”
For more information: http://www.kiarts.org/event.php?calendar_id=13&event_id=643