TENT: LONDON DESIGN FESTIVAL 2011
Written By Bacall Michaels

Wired Chairs. Not the most comfortable of things, but for the outdoors- are more than perfect. With the collection “Icon”, furniture designer Jan Plechac took familiar shapes and created visual depth through what looks like physical outlining.

“THE ICONS SEATING FURNITURE PIECES ARE AN ATTEMPT TO WIPE THE LINE BETWEEN INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR FURNITURE, PLUS INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR AS SUCH, IT IS AN ATTEMPT TO FIND STORIES OF ICONIC FORMS IN NEW CONTEXTS OF A MENTALLY CONTRASTING ENVIRONMENT, IT IS ABOUT IDEAS OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FUNCTION AND FORM.

WHEN TRANSFORMING THE EXISTING FURNITURE INTO A LIGHT AND A DEMATERIALIZED STRUCTURE OF EXTERIOR FURNITURE, I USED A CONTOUR LINE AS A TOOL, A GRAPHIC SHORTCUT, THUS, THE SEATING SET WAS CREATED BY COPYING FAMOUS ICONS OF WORLD DESIGN, WHICH GRADUALLY TURNED INTO REAL WIRE FURNITURE, THE SELECTION OF INDIVIDUAL PIECES WAS DETERMINED BY SEVERAL PRIORITIES, THE FIRST AND MOST ESSENTIAL ONE WAS HOW MUCH A CERTAIN OBJECT OR STYLE IS KNOWN AMONG THE PUBLIC…

BECAUSE I TRIED TO PICK VARIOUS FURNITURE PIECES THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS THAT WOULD DIFFER IN MATERIAL, STRUCTURE, ETC, THIS MEANT TRANSFORMING THE AMORPHOUS AND EVER-CHANGING SHAPE INTO THE INDIVIDUAL CURVES OF THE WIRE STRUCTURE, MY DIPLOMA WORK FOCUSES ON THE ATTEMPT TO EVOKE NEW EMOTIONS BY MEANS OF OLD MEMORIES, ON THE CLASH OF CLEARLY DEFINED FORMS AND NATURAL CONTINGENCIES, AND ON THEIR CONSONANCY.”

- JAN PLECHAC