Details

Title

Plywood Slice

Artist/Maker

Mathias Bengtsson (Danish, born 1971), designer and maker

Date

1999

Medium

Plywood

Dimensions

29 1/2 x 35 x 29 1/2 inches

Credit

Purchase in honor of Valerie O'Neal, Art Partners President, 2011–2012, through prior acquisitions

Accession #

2011.166

On View

On View - Wieland Pavilion, Skyway, Gallery 420

The design for this undulating chair is first drawn by hand, then hand-modeled in clay, which is then sliced into horizontal layers and manipulated digitally. The construction is an assemblage of horizontal 3mm plywood sheets, each laser-cut to the precise thickness before assembly into the 3D form. The final result is a surprisingly modern, organic form that blurs the distinctions between traditional components of a chair, as well as between design and handicraft.