Vitra Charts 200-Year History of Seating Furniture in 'Chair Times' Film
Explore 125 iconic chairs in the free 90-minute video.
Vitra recently launched a 90-minute film that explores the development of chairs from 1800 to present day. Titled Chair Times: A History of Seating by filmmaker Heinz Bütler, the 90-minute video focuses on 125 iconic chairs from the collection of the Vitra Design Museum.
In Chair Times, Vitra Chairman Emeritus and former CEO Rolf Fehlbaum speaks with experts in the design field, including designers Hella Jongerius, Antonio Citterio and Ronan Bouroullec as well as architects Arthur Rüegg and Ruggero Tropeano. “Chairs are important witnesses of their time,” said Fehlbaum. “They are portraits of their users and reflections of the production methods from which they emerge.”
The video also asserts that each chair typifies the production methods, fashion trends, and social structures from the time they were made. For instance, the Eames plywood chairs were produced after Charles Eames was commissioned by the Navy during WWII to create splints that were lightweight and easy to move around. At the time, Eames was experimenting with plywood bending techniques. Head to Vitra’s website to watch the entire Chair Times film.
Elsewhere in design, Mustard Hotel Shibuya unveiled a collection of work benches and apparel with M&M.
