Cappellini

Armchair Knotted chair plastic material textile / Marcel Wanders, 1996 - Resin-coated cord

Treat yourself to an ORIGINAL iconic piece by Cappellini. An original will never lose its value. It will stay with you for your whole life, and even longer, perfect for passing on to the next generation. Iconoclastic designer Marcel Wanders never ceased to surprise with his fantastic, impertinent, romantic, amusing and strange creations. It was in 1996 that he gained international recognition, thanks to the Knotted Chair, his first great success, created within Dutch creative collective Droog. Combining craftsmanship with high technology, this hybrid creations demonstrates Wanders' taste for experimenting. Since, this seat and its creator have become cult, going so far as to be admitted into the most prestigious of museums, such as the MoMA, the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The Knotted Chair is one of the objects developed as part of the Dry Tech I project by the Dutch Droog Design collective, for which the creators worked alongside researches from the aerospace engineering department at the Technical University of Delft. This project aimed to experiment with combining new materials and artisan techniques. Wanders was the perfect match: his creations often combine traditional and high-tech materials and procedures. A veritable laboratory for ideas and experiences, Droog was behind the creation of "Dry Tech", a technological innovation which enabled textiles to be stiffened, as used by Wanders for his Knotted Chair.Knotted Chair combines the ancestral technique of macramé with the innovative "Dry Tech" technique. Effectively using the macramé knotting technique, Marcel Wanders braided an aramid fibre (high-resistance synthetic fibre, mainly used in aeronautics and the military industry) around a carbon axis. Despite the highly modern materials, it is entirely handmade, just like it was in the olden days. Once completed, the soft structure is plunged into an epoxy resin bath to solidify it. It's then placed on a frame, so that it can harden while assuming the right shape, thanks to gravity. Gravity is the only physical driver, responsible for the shape of the piece, acting while it dries. The material obtained is made rigid and resistant, whilst also retain a certain suppleness. Whilst the chair is sturdy, the seat offers a suppleness that allows it to adapt to each individual's body shape. The delicate mesh with its complex shape has a surprising effect with its sturdiness, support and durability.It involves using the same technique as macramé, knotting by hand a fabric cord to create lace-work braiding. Next, the braided cord is imbibed with epoxy resin and placed on a frame, so that it hardens whilst assuming the right shape thanks to gravity. Gravity is the only physical driver, responsible for the shape of the piece, acting while it dries. The material obtained is made rigid and resistant, whilst also retain a certain suppleness. The delicate mesh with its complex shape has a surprising effect with its sturdiness, support and durability.Evoking a soft, levitating net, its deceiving appearance is an invitation to reach out and touch it, so that you can experience its unexpected comfort. The spectator can't help but be fascinated by this strange technical prowess, and this irresistible urge to touch it, to see if the seat just melts away. Thanks to its empty spaces, the structure creates an optical illusion, in which transparency allows light to pass through the chair.Even the design of the chair, made essentially of empty spaces, means that material savings can be made. The creation process requires fairly little energy. Above all, the sturdiness of the Knotted Chair gives it an extremely long life span. Just as many environmental issues were central to Marcel Wanders' reflection from the very beginning.

In detail:

• Variation : Beige

• Brand : Cappellini

• Designer : Marcel Wanders

• Type : Armchair

• Colour : Beige

• Material : Carbon fibre structure, covered with braided cord composed with a carbon fibre core and a covering layer of aramid fibre - Cord hardened with epoxy resin

• Dimensions : L 53 x D 64 cm x H 69 cm - Seat: H 31 cm
• Weight : 0 lb
• Characteristics : Model created by Marcel Wanders in 1996 - A design icon - Original piece by Cappellini (will never lose its value)
• Country of Manufacture : Italy