Magis Sparkling by Marcel Wanders- 04.21.10
Magis was incredible this year, so many stunning pieces. Perhaps the most experimental and fascinating was the Sparkling Chair by Marcel Wanders. It’s like the PET water bottle chair of sorts… complete with mock-labels matching frizzante water… There was even a pop up space in Tortona with walls covered in prototypes, sketches, and more, and to see the process to find the perfect weight, colors, concepts were truly inspiring! This is his lightest chair yet, weighing in at under 1kg ~ and it finds its strength not in the material, as much as it does the air and pressure within (imagine your bottle of sparkling water before you open it?) While i’m not sure how i feel about the material chosen, it is interesting to see that its blow molded, and really that the concept plays on the idea of lightweight/minimal material usage in combination with the strength of air pressure… without having that terrible feeling of inflatable furniture? Take a peek at lots of angles of it in person, sketches, prototypes ~ as well as a video of him chatting with Fabio Novembre about it (while seated ON the prototype!) on the next page!
Additionally, here’s part one of the Abitare Being Fabio Novembre interview with Wanders where he not only discusses how he came to make Sparkling, but also sits ON the prototype the whole 20 minutes or so!
and if you’re curious how closely they copied the San Pellegrino labeling… here’s a comparison:
The concept of this chair is brilliant but I wish the form helped convey the message. For potentially being the worlds lightest chair the aesthetic is heavy and clunky looking.
----- jeff 25.04.10 10:41