Jasper Morrison - Basel Chair - Research

Presentation: Eleonore

Medium and Value: Morgane

Style and Originality: Adrien

Expression and Signification: Nathan

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You should look at the website of Vitra, the firm that produces the Basel Chair: http://www.vitra.com/en-gb/

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Jasper Morrison and chairs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzpzO4ia8rw

and a report on his exhibition in Bordeaux in le Musée des Arts décoratifs:

http://culturebox.france3.fr/all/16198/exposition-super-normal-du-designer-jasper-morrison-au-musee-des-arts-decoratifs-de-bordeaux#/all

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Style and originality

One can easily think that this chair looks like any classical and sober wooden chair. One might think that it has no personality. Nothing could be more false.

Let’s have a more precise look at it.

First both the bottom and the back are finer than the usual, thanks to the plastic material. This makes it more comfortable.

In addition, the shape makes it hard for the sitter to slip over: the back is curved and the bottom too, ready to receive the sitter.

Furthermore, the bottom is maintained stuck with the wooden structure without screw: they fit together. A similar principle is used to make the back and the back feet fitting together.

The absence of obvious screw gives the Basel chair a smooth personality. It looks sweeter than an classic kitchen chair.

Expression

What is it used for and how does it function?

As a chair, I think everybody knows what the Basel Chair is used for… Maybe as… a chair…

We have seen with Adrien and Morgane that this chair is particularly comfortable so that that you maybe use it more than other chairs but I don’t know exactly what your relation with chairs is…

The instructions for use of the Basel Chair say: "In compliance with due diligence and the law Basel Chair may be used as an office swivel chair only. Should it be used for other purposes there is an increased accident risk (e.g., use as a climbing aid)."

We see the importance of using the object not only as an art object and that makes me come to the most important of my part about expression in which we will actually see how Morrison puts a stress on the importance of the design object first as an everyday life object.

Signification

A complete concept design is expressed through the Basel Chair. In short, Morris concept of design has the following characteristics:

Objects must be functional, creations are not only visual but are also objects with which we live and that we use (à Organization in 2009 (Arts décoratifs) of the exposition “take a seat” in which visitors can seat on 21 different chairs, not only look at them). The Basel Chair is functional, it is comfortable and simple.

Object must be authentic and simple. Morrison is an inconspicuous designer. His Basel Chair is a revisited version of a classic the wooden chair. It is rather simple and sober. In this video we can see how he emphasizes the importance of usefulness of the object. He also considers that object should not be spoilt with ornaments and we can see that with the Basel Chair. With that conception, he is in line with the Japanese Mingei movement (1920s 1930s in Japan = objects must be used by the masses, functional in daily life etc.) and with the views of Adolf Loos (end of the 19^th century Austrian designer who puts a stress on the fact that modernity implies deletion of ornament).

This concept of design expressed through the Basel Chair is embodied in the concept of supernormal design.

“Design, which is supposed to be responsible for the man-made environment we all inhabit, seems to be polluting it instead. Its historic and idealistic goal to serve industry and the happy consuming masses at the same time, of conceiving things easier to make and better to live with, has been side-tracked.”

Pleasure and signification that is given to objects does not entirely come from design but also from their day-to-day use. That is why with Naoto Fukasawa (Japanese guy who designed electronic devices) they created the exposition super normal that was in Bordeaux Last Year.

The Basel Chair is something that conveys well this point of view. As opposed to current “design objects”, the Basel Chair also gives pleasure through its use. We can say that beyond the normal vision of the chair, the Basel Chair is supernormal…

To conclude my part I would like to wonder why this chair has been given this name “Basel Chair”. Is it an allusion to the city of Basel which is known for modern art.

The Basel Chair : an archetype?

This is not the first wooden chair of that style being designed. It was probably partially inspired by two classical European wooden chairs : the School chair, and the chaise de bistrot.

(you can also check out this website : http://www.lesartsdecoratifs.fr/francais/arts-decoratifs/expositions-23/archives-25/jasper-morrison-take-a-seat/)

I also found a picture of my IKEA chair Nordmyra, which was probably designed before 2007 (the designer stopped working for IKEA in 07), and which has some ressemblance with the Basel chair (produced in 2008). Hence, we can see it is a variation of a traditional pattern.

Chaise de bistrot (a model which appeared in the 1920s)

Chaise d'école

Nordmyra - IKEA (design by Joacim Gustavsson)