Chart Concept 2

For my next designer I wanted to choose Ray and Charles Eames but first we need to look at some information about Alvar Aalto. He is the one who had started experimenting with the bending of wood and was a font of inspiration for artists like Marcel Breuer and the said Ray and Charles Eames.

Alvar Aalto got married in the 1920s, and, together with his wife, started experimenting in the bending of wood. These researches lead to Aalto’s revolutionary designs in which he started bonding veneers together.  This led to the creation of the Model No: 41 Chair. In 1931/32 he designed the Model No: 31 Chair.

These works were of inspiration to Ray and Charles Eames thus they started their own research and made new discoveries. These discoveries got them a commission from the US Navy to develop plywood splints, stretchers and glider shells which were moulded by heat and high pressure. Their revolutionary proposals were state-of-the-art in manufacturing technique; firstly the moulding of plywood into complex curves and also the use of cycle welding which enables metal and wood to be joined. At this time there were a lot of advancements in technology which made these techniques possible. Such example could be seen in:

Plywood splints commissioned by US Navy

CTW table and LCW plywood chair

Eames had more than a decade filled with masterpieces even though it was a time of war and financial crisis. This is reflected in their works, since it was during and after World War II their designs had to be simple, highly functional, without excessive material and can be mass produced. The industry follows trends and events but war generates its own industry weather in the form of weapons or support such as in the case of the leg splints.

In turn Ray and Charles Eames were a source of inspiration for other artists such as Karim Rashid and Frank Gehry. In their works one can see the influences they still have on today’s designers.

Karim Rashid and Frank Gehry respectively.

1931/32 Alvar Aalto Model No 31

1941 Japanese attack pearl harbour

1943 Italy joins Allies

1943 Eames Leg Splints

1944 D-Day

1945 End of World War II and massive reconstructive in Germany and Japan / United Nations Founded / USA drops atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki

1945 Plywood Elephant

1946 moulded plywood coffee table

1948 La Chaise

1948-50 plastic shell chairs with various bases 

 1951-53 Wire Mesh Chair

1956 Eames Lounge (670) and Ottoman

HermanMiller.  Products. [online] Available at: http://www.hermanmiller.com/products/seating/multi-use-guest-chairs/eames-molded-plywood-chairs.html [Accessed on 5^th January 2014]

About.com. Timeline of the 20^th century: 1940s Timeline [online] Available at: http://history1900s.about.com/od/timelines/tp/1940timeline.htm [Accessed on 5^th January 2014]

Vitra Design Museum. UN. Organic Armchair Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen [online] Available at: http://www.design-museum.de/en/collection/100-masterpieces/detailseiten/organic-armchair-charles-eames-und-eero-saarinen.html [Accessed on 5^th January 2014]

 Herman Miller. Design Story. [online] Available at: http://www.hermanmiller.com/products/seating/multi-use-guest-chairs/eames-molded-plywood-chairs.html [Accessed on 5^th January 2014]