George Nakashima and Knoll: The Making of an Object
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The Making of an Object is an exhibition that tells the story of
the Nakashima Straight Chair: first as a hand-made piece crafted
exclusively at Nakashima’s workshop; next as part of the Knoll
product line in the 1940s and 50s; and finally, as a modern
production piece reintroduced to the Knoll catalogue in 2008. The
lifecycle of this iconic chair will be examined thru photographs,
videos and actual samples of the chair itself. The exhibition runs
from April 30 to June 5, 2009 at The Design Center at Philadelphia
University.
“By viewing the lifespan of the Straight Back Chair, the visitor can
realize how an artist creates a well designed product that can then
be translated into a more accessible piece of furniture for the
public,” says Hilary Jay, Executive Director of The Design Center at
Philadelphia University.
From 1946 to 1954 Knoll, an international manufacturer of modern
furniture for the workplace and the home, produced a series of
designs by woodworker and craftsman George Nakashima. For Nakashima,
who made each of his designs by hand at his workshop in New Hope,
Pennsylvania, this was an opportunity to see how craftsmanship and
industry could be joined to create pieces of high quality for
large-scale production.
George Nakashima (1905-1990) was born in Spokane, Washington, and
grew up in the forests of the Olympic Peninsula. He attended the
University of Washington, where he initially studied forestry before
switching to architecture. After earning his master’s degree in
architecture at MIT in 1930, Nakashima went to work for modern
architect Antonin Raymond in Tokyo. Under Raymond, Nakashima spent
three years supervising the construction of the first reinforced
concrete building in Pondicherry, India. When war broke out,
Nakashima returned via Tokyo to the United States. Shortly after his
marriage to Marion and the birth of his daughter, Mira, the family
was interned at the camps in Minidoka, Idaho. It was there that
Nakashima met Gentaro Hikogawa, a man trained in traditional
Japanese carpentry. Under his tutelage, Nakashima learned to master
traditional Japanese hand tools and joinery techniques. His studio,
George Nakashima Woodworker, S.A. still produces most of Nakashima’s
original designs, as well as Mira’s.
“Work for him was a spiritual calling, a linking of his strength to
a transcendental force, a surrender to the divine, a form of
prayer,” says Mira of her father’s approach to woodworking.
In 1946, Nakashima agreed to have a few of his designs – including
the Straight Chair – marketed by Knoll, a manufacturer of innovative
modern furniture that was founded in New York three years earlier.
In order to accommodate growing demand, Nakashima worked with the
Knoll product development team to manufacture his furniture at an
off-site Knoll facility.
The relationship between Nakashima and Knoll ended in 1954. Then in
2008, Knoll, in collaboration with Mira Nakashima, reintroduced the
Nakashima Straight Chair and Splay-Leg Table to its product line. In
order to get the chair and table ready once again for large-scale
production, Knoll’s product engineers had the pieces digitally
scanned and translated into 3D modeling and architectural programs.
Mira Nakashima worked closely with the Knoll design team to ensure
the integrity and quality of the final product compared to the
designer’s original. Today, the Knoll versions of the Straight Chair
and Splay-Leg Table are manufactured in upstate New York.
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For more information about Nakashima woodworkers, please
visit
www.nakashimawoodworker.com.
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The Design Center (TDC) supports Philadelphia University’s extensive
design curriculum: fashion, industrial design, graphics,
architecture, landscape architecture, interior design and digital
design. Each year, TDC mounts nationally recognized exhibitions, as
well as administers DesignPhiladelphia, an annual city-wide
celebration that unites all the design arts through exhibitions,
seminars, booksignings, lectures, open studios and workshops. The
Center’s library and historic textile collection serve as
outstanding resources for scholarly research and provide inspiration
to designers, artists, educators, and students and aficionados.
Hours: Monday – Friday 10 am to 4 pm.
Weekends by appointment.
Free and open to the public.
Wheelchair accessible.
