Marcel Duchamp (1887 – 1968) coined the term “Ready-mades” by exhibiting ordinary objects as art forms. Though he might have preferred that we be appalled by his signing of ordinary unattractive products like the urinal or a bicycle tire, we end up reconsidering the beauty of Design. His generation of artists advocated the obscure notion of “Art imitating Life”. The entire process of creating these chairs – rather, re-creating - pays tribute to all Art and artifacts ever created. The chair designs were chosen over a period of extensive research and a life-long fascination with art history, prehistoric cultures, and the objects they made.
Each chair utilizes the 29H x 29W x 29D inch structure of discarded vintage plastic lawn chairs. They were purchased at a second-hand store before realizing their value as original “Solaire chairs” designed by a French Canadian team, Fabiano and Panzini. They were completely unfashionable during the 1990’s, but I remembered their intriguing design as lawn furniture back in the early 1970’s, and how comfortable they were. A nostalgic vision to refurbish them came to mind, half-thinking that they could be thrown away if I couldn’t figure out a way to re-salvage them.
Two were non-functional with cracked plastic and large gaps. like a lot of artwork, the finished products did not materialize for many years. About ten years would pass before having enough time to start projects that were not work-orders. Two more chairs were purchased after moving to Texas, where despite my husband’s protests, I insisted on moving the first two along with the rest of our belongings. The down-side about the design of these chairs is that they can't be stacked, they take up a good deal of space, and are awkward to carry. However, items like this, with so much potential, are worth every inconvenience!
After weaving strips of canvas across the damaged areas and layering more of the fabric with white glue in a paper mache fashion, thin layers of plaster were gradually applied, allowed time to cure, then sanded in between coats. Each chair design is finalized as sketches on paper then drawn freehand on the dried plaster surface with graphite and/or marker then painted with acrylics. 3 out of 4 chairs involve some carving, with successive chairs each more elaborate than the one before. All are finished with coats of varnish and an application of wax for durability and to enrich the colors. As key pieces in the the Dancing With Trees Art Exhibition collection, the first four chairs relay fairly abstract concepts regarding the importance of trees, particularly with reference to myths, legends, other historic aspects, and cultural significance. The chairs are truly one-of-a-kind, completely functional, and are the ideal place to portray historic art themes and ancient artifacts.
In addition to the five finished chairs listed here, three more are in progress. One is a large replica of a Peruvian Moche culture turquoise and gold earring/ear plug. The second interprets a favorite iconic Hindu culture sculpture, the very graceful Lord of the Dance, Shiva as Nataraj. The third chair has been going through various transformations, first with a Zen Garden theme which changed to a Bigleaf Maple leaf over pebble. It is still going through transformations at this point, so plans are to create a large beautiful orange lily ...we will see what happens! The chairs all need curing time, so while one is worked on the others dry.
“Mayan Bowl Replica Chair”
“Cycad Leaf Fossil Chair”
“The Tree of Life Chair”
“Salish Spindle-Whorl Replica”
“Chrysanthemums Chair”
