Out/About: Chairity Project 2015 ‘Reinventing Design Icons’
Alice Babidge & Robin Hearfield
What do twenty of Australia and New Zealand’s best creatives do when presented with an iconic workhorse; the Series 7 chair designed by Arne Jacobsen and manufactured by Fritz Hansen, a modest but perfectly feminine form so coveted that its been reproduced more than any other? They pull it apart, dress it, clad it, subtract and add structure, paint, draw, photograph, reconstruct and add their own signature; one of pure respect.
Cult’s Chairity Project 2015 is the second edition of the charity event (2014 saw Hans Wegner’s CH33 in the limelight) joining the 60th anniversary celebration of the Series 7 chair. This year-long party has seen this beauty reinterpreted not only by Fritz Hansen – in the anniversary colours of dusty pink with gold legs and her companion midnight blue with brown burnished legs – but also on a global stage by seven leading architects from Zaha Hadid through to Neri & Hu that will tour from London to Tokyo.
So in full festive spirit we are paying homage to this minimalistic sweetheart down under. Unlike most of Fritz Hansen’s chairs that were intended for specific projects the Series 7 was designed to be adaptable; stackable and elegantly industrious, her curvaceous shape almost nude. Comfortably quiet in any setting this birthday makeover has seen her bloom. Do join the party at Cult and come along to visually caress these models all of which will be exhibited and auctioned off to a charity of the creative’s own choice.
Arent&Pyke were honored to be included in the line up of designers invited to participate in this year’s Chairity Project. Faced with this legendary chair perfectly shaped for the human form, we knew we wanted to instill a handcrafted signature that reflected its generous personality. We were inspired to collaborate with artist Tania Rollond, her delicate and exquisite drawings that she describes as “markings in, and of time” visually represented to us, the delicate and often fragile nature of life itself. Rollond’s chalky hand-applied patina creates a soft backdrop for her spidery line work. Like organic erratic longhand it flows over the surface, punctuated by blocks of watercolour giving this continuous monologue expressive relief. We approached the legs with this same attention to detail, preferring a tactile layer of hand knots to lose the brashness of the chrome wrapping it with delicately crafted warmth.
The Kids’ Cancer Project is independent and not aligned to one institution. They support research that is collaborative and has the greatest chance of clinical success. To date, they have funded almost $24million in childhood cancer research that has led to world breakthroughs towards a cure for childhood cancer. As we both have young families, this charity deeply resonated with the two of us.
This is your chance to own a very unique piece of design, and feel good to boot, so get online and register now at www.galabid.com/chairityproject2015 and good luck bidding!
This year Chairity Project 2015 is a travelling exhibition that will be displayed nationally throughout Cult showrooms in Sydney (5-7 November), Melbourne (12-14 November) and Brisbane (19-21 November).
Credits: Photography by: Tim Robinson for Cult Design
