A Gray Design. by nat.borgese

A Gray Design. Natalie Chloe Borgese s3719640

a portfolio by Natalie Chloe Borgese Bachelor of Industrial Design (Honours) RMIT University 2019 Tutored by Malcolm Thomas All concepts by Natalie Borgese unless otherwise stated Images sourced from Pinterest.com nat.borgese@gmail.com

Contents Introduction

Page 4-5

Poster

Page 6-7

Essay

Page 8-11

Eileen Gray

Page 12-27

Ideation

Page 28-33

Design Concepts

Page 34-39

Reflection

Page 40-41

References

Page 42-43

Introduction.

The modernism design movement brought new ideas and understandings of design and conceptualization to the forefront of the evolving 19th and 20th Centuries. These new outlooks and methods of thinking would have gotten nowhere without those who pioneered the movement during the relevant eras. Eileen Gray was one of these first designers to embrace the new way of interpreting design. Although today she is best known for her furniture designs, her career took off within the architectural design field, where she truly embraced the modern design thinking to create iconic

pieces of architecture that are still enjoyed today. She pioneered the modernism movement by taking crafts and combined them in a radical manner and combined them in, what can be considered, a radical manner. Most famous for being one of the first to use tubular steel, Gray embraced working with geometric forms, creating elegant furniture designs utilizing tubular steel and leather. To this day, many architects and designers find inspiration in Grayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unique style, creating designs reminiscent of her philosophy.

Marcel Lajos Breuer, was a Hungarian-born modernist architect, and furniture designer. At the Bauhaus he designed the Wassily Chair and the Cesca Chair which is “among the 10 most important chairs of the 20th century.” Breuer extended the sculptural vocabulary he had developed in the carpentry shop at the Bauhaus into a personal architecture that made him one of the world's most popular architects at the peak of 20th-century design. For many, Breuer is immediately connected to the Model B3, also known as the Wassily Chair. This iconic tubular steel chair, inspired by bicycle frames and made with the latest in steel-bending technology, was given its nickname when it was reproduced by Italian manufacturer Gavina. Breuer's work was in many ways a perfect demonstration of the Bauhaus' ideals of art meeting industry. Early versions of the B3 chair were only made possible due to steel manufacturer Mannesmann developing methods that removed seams from steel tubing, and the fabric straps (later replaced by leather) that constitute the chair's arms, back and seat were developed by Margaretha Reichardt, a weaving workshop student.

Alvar Aalto paimio Chair

Mid-Modernism.

(1898 – 1976) was a Finnish architect and designer. His work includes architecture, furniture, textiles and glassware, as well as sculptures and paintings, though he never regarded himself as an artist, seeing painting and sculpture as "branches of the tree whose trunk is architecture." Aalto's early career runs in parallel with the rapid economic growth and industrialization of Finland during the first half of the twentieth century and many of his clients were industrialists; among these were the Ahlström-Gullichsen family. The span of his career, from the 1920s to the 1970s, is reflected in the styles of his work, ranging from Nordic Classicism of the early work, to a rational International Style Modernism during the 1930s to a more organic modernist style from the 1940s onwards. What is typical for his entire career, however, is a concern for design as a Gesamtkunstwerk, a total work of art; whereby he – together with his first wife Aino Aalto – would design not just the building, but give special treatments to the interior surfaces and design furniture, lamps, and furnishings and glassware. His furniture designs are considered Scandinavian Modern, in the sense of a concern for materials, especially wood, and simplification but also technical experimentation, which led to him receiving patents for various manufacturing processes, such as bent wood. The Alvar Aalto Museum, designed by Aalto himself, is located in what is regarded as his home city Jyväskylä.

Coffee

A Poster. • Est. August 18,1920 • The “predecessor to the United Nations” • Formed with the intention to prevent another war like the great war

• With the economic turmoil left behind by World War 1, some countries were taken over by dictators who formed powerful fascist governments • Italian national fascist party formed Nov 9 1921 • Political group led by Benito Mussolini • The party eventually came to rule the Kingdom of Italy between 1922 and 1943, Mussolini dictated in a fascist regime. • Nazi party formed 1923 • During the 1920s the Nazi Party extended throughout Germany and industrialists provided financial support

• The lost generation refers to the people who came of age during WWI. The ‘‘Lost’ in

this context is referring to the great confusion and aimlessness following the extreme violence and turmoil of WWI,

• The term is particularly used to refer to a group of artists and writers living in Paris

during the 1920’s many of them being American.

• Gertrude Stein has been credited with coining the term ‘Lost Generation’ with his

friend Ernest Hemingway popularising the term. Hemingway wrote in his memoir that Stein heard the phrase from a French garage owner who shouted at a mechanic when he did not fix a car quickly enough, “you are all a génération perdue.”

• Many artists and writers began to question accepted norms of the time and were

disheartened by the senseless violence and thus these themes commonly appeared in literary works of the time.

• Notable writers includes: Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, John Dos Passos,

Gertrude Stein, and T.S. Eliot.

To begin, research was conducted regarding the mid-modernism design movement and era (1920-1945). It was imperative to not only look at how Gray herself interpreted the mid-modernism design era and what it had to offer, but also other key pioneers in design. The political climate and cultural and technological advancements affect how each influential designer conducted their practices, as well as their accessibility to new materials and production techniques that broaden how designers create new products. Therefore, the furniture products that are designed should have

• When wages began to rise in money to spend on entertainm previously. Movies, radio and forms of entertainment. • The introduction of radio into sport and news reaching plac increasingly popular througho listening becoming available player) becoming cheaper. • The introduction of play-by-p sporting legends of the time hugely popular. • Cinema or ‘moving pictures’ started to become hugely popular picture in 1927. • Perhaps the most well known person in the film industry of the famous character, ‘the tramp.’ Chaplin’s films were the top box until his film The Great Dictator where his plea for peace lead t banning from the USA for his political views.

reminiscent materials and features that do m ble during the mid-modernism design era. Gray was one of the few women leading in t continues to be highly regarded past her life take place within Europe during both world that her time practicing as a designer was af political issue.

Mid-century modernism is a practical, clean-lined design movement spanning architecture, interior design, furniture, product and graphic design created during the middle of the 20th century. The exact dates are open to debate: some place mid-century modernism between 1933 and 1965, while others claim the time period was smaller – from 1947 to 1957. Mid-century modernism is as functional, simple and straightforward as its rather literal name. Mid-century modern design is full of clean, sculptural lines, simple, organic shapes and neat proportions, as well as vibrant colour palettes – an evolution of earlier Modernist styles such as Bauhaus. Mid-Century Modern buildings often used sculptural curved forms and fewer 90 degree angles than the International Style buildings that predated them. Architects experimented with poured concrete, rather than just steel and glass, and used various prefabricated methods of construction. Bertrand Goldberg’s Marina City is one such example. Characteristics include: Organic forms inspired by nature, clean lines, no applied ornamentation, innovative uses of glass, a mixture of various materials.

Van Der Rohe architecture Along with Alvar Aalto, Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius and Frank Lloyd Wright, Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe is regarded as one of the pioneers of modernist architecture. Mies was the last director of the Bauhaus, a seminal school in modern architecture. After Nazism's rise to power, with its strong opposition to modernism (leading to the closing of the Bauhaus itself), Mies emigrated to the United States. He accepted the position to head the architecture school at the Armour Institute of Technology (later the Illinois Institute of Technology), in Chicago. Mies sought to establish his own particular architectural style that could represent modern times just as Classical and Gothic did for their own eras. He created his own twentieth-century architectural style, stated with extreme clarity and simplicity. His mature buildings made use of modern materials such as industrial steel and plate glass to define interior spaces, as also conducted by other modernist architects in the 1920s and 1930s such as Richard Neutra. Along with Le Corbusier and Walter Gropius, Mies helped pioneer the crystallization of the International Style as the core movement of modern architecture during the early 1920s. Unlike Le Corbusier and other early champions of the International Style who moved away from it, in part due to critiques of modern architecture in the 1960s, he remained completely devoted to the movement over the last four decades of his career. Mies strove toward an architecture with a minimal framework of structural order balanced against the implied freedom of unobstructed free-flowing open space. He called his buildings "skin and bones" architecture. He sought an objective approach that would guide the creative process of architectural design, but was always concerned with expressing the spirit of the modern era. He is often associated with his fondness for the aphorisms, "less is more" and "God is in the details".

Marcel Breuer Wassily Armchair

e Table by Isamu Noguchi

Isamu Noguchi (1904–1988) was one of the twentieth century’s most important and critically acclaimed sculptors. Through a lifetime of artistic experimentation, he created sculptures, gardens, furniture and lighting designs, ceramics, architecture, and set designs. His work, at once subtle and bold, traditional and modern, set a new standard for the reintegration of the arts. Noguchi, an internationalist, traveled extensively throughout his life. (In his later years he maintained studios both in Japan and New York.) He discovered the impact of large-scale public works in Mexico, earthy ceramics and tranquil gardens in Japan, subtle ink-brush techniques in China, and the purity of marble in Italy. He incorporated all of these impressions into his work, which utilized a wide range of materials, including stainless steel, marble, cast iron, balsa wood, bronze, sheet aluminum, basalt, granite, and water. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the backlash against Japanese-Americans in the United States had a dramatic personal effect on Noguchi, motivating him to become a political activist. In 1942, he started Nisei Writers and Artists Mobilization for Democracy, a group dedicated to raising awareness of the patriotism of Japanese-Americans. He also asked to be placed in an internment camp in Arizona, where he lived for a brief seven months. Following the War, Noguchi spent a great deal of time in Japan exploring the wrenching issues raised during the previous years. His ideas and feelings are reflected in his works of that period, particularly the delicate slab sculptures included in the 1946 exhibition “Fourteen Americans,” at The Museum of Modern Art, New York.

• Hitler became Chancellor in 1933 • Hitler established himself as Fuhrer (Leader) of the new Third Reich (Empire) in 1934 after Hindenburg passed • The nazi party was a sustained anti-Semitic campaign • At first it was a boycott but it quickly degenerated into a vicious and sustained attack on Jewish people, their commercial premises', religious buildings and homes, eventually leading to isolating them in ghettos and concentration camps

the 1920’s consumers had more ment and leisure than they had d sports became the most popular

o peoples homes lead to music, ces it hadn’t before. Jazz became out the ‘roaring 20’s’ with at home through the phonograph (record

play sports also made athletes and in the 1920’s with the first talking

time was Charlie Chaplin with his office attraction at the time up to a fall in popularity and eventual

Hans Wegner Wishbone Chair

• The Bauhaus was forced to close down in April 11, 1933 due to pressure from the Nazis • The Gestapo was scouring the school for a secret printing press suspected of publishing anti-Nazi propaganda, and documents linking Bauhaus to the Communist party • The newly christened International Style - white walls, steel and glass, and flat roofs - just wasn't German. • The nazis were against these new modern styles (Both bauhaus and international)

• The rise of consumer culture began after WWI as wages increased and lead to more disposable income for spending. • Due to the increased demand production lines became more efficient and electrical appliances and other desirable objects began to become cheaper. Products such as the radio, electric kitchen appliances and automobiles were among the most popular products of the 1920’s and 30’s. • The most significant innovation of the 1920’s was Henry Ford’s Model T Ford. Ford pioneered mass production by perfecting the assembly line and enabled him to lower the Model T’s price from $850 in 1908 to $300 in 1924. • The advertising industry quickly became one of the biggest and most lucrative industries as companies competed to promote their products on radio’s and television sets. The air industry also began over the 1930’s with events such as Lindbergh’s solo transatlantic flight marking the beginning of small airlines such as Boeing and Ford.

Among Danish furniture designers, Hans J. Wegner (1914-2007) is considered one of the most creative, innovative and prolific. Often referred to as the master of the chair, Wegner created almost 500 in his lifetime – many of them considered masterpieces. His iconic Wishbone Chair is probably the most well-known and has been in continuous production since 1950. In 1938, Wegner was approached by architects and designers Arne Jacobsen and Erik Møller, and started designing furniture for the new Aarhus City Hall. During the same period, Wegner began collaborating with master cabinetmaker Johannes Hansen, who was a driving force in bringing new furniture design to the Danish public at the Copenhagen Cabinetmakers’ Guild Exhibitions. The core of Wegner’s legacy is his focus on showing the inner soul of furniture pieces through a simple and functional exterior. Wegner’s background as a cabinetmaker gave him a deep understanding of how to integrate exacting joinery techniques with exquisite form. His aesthetic was also based on a deep respect for wood and its characteristics, and a vast curiosity about other natural materials that enabled him to bring an organic, natural softness to formalistic minimalism. His high quality and thoughtful work, along with a concerted effort from several of his manufacturers, contributed to the international popularity of mid-century Danish design. His style is often described as Organic Functionality, a modernist school with emphasis on functionality. This school of thought arose primarily in Scandinavian countries with contributions by Poul Henningsen, Alvar Aalto, and Arne Jacobsen. In his lifetime he designed over 500 different chairs, over 100 of which were put into mass production and many of which have become recognizable.

• Born 1961, London, England • British artist and designer based in London, self-trained • His work ‘follows language through many of its social and technological guises’, in which typography, human voice and bodily gestures are included as part of a direct correspondence with other visible forms and sounds of the city. • His work aims to couple typography with the human voice, usually including references to forms of audio signage that mediate the relationship between the two. • His typography ‘found font’ (also known as ‘bitz’) is a collection of typography drawn from real-life objects and industrial objects • His work also addresses the instrumentalisation for the human voice as a kind of typography, engaging the voice in many of its social and technological presentation and appearance, whilst also imitating languages and random sounds

The Eameses are best known for their groundbreaking contributions to architecture, furniture design, industrial design and manufacturing, and the photographic arts. In 1930, Charles started his own architectural office. He began extending his design ideas beyond architecture and received a fellowship to Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan, where he eventually became head of the design department. In 1943 Ray and Charles developed a leg splint. This was in response to medical officers serving in World War II combat zones reporting the need for emergency transport splints. The Eameses created their splints from wood veneers, which they bonded together with a resin glue and shaped into compound curves using a process involving heat and pressure. Using the material they had for the furniture in the guest bedroom of their apartment. With the introduction of plywood splints, they were able to replace problematic metal traction splints that had side effects of inducing gangrene due to impairment of blood circulation. Eames products were also manufactured on Washington Boulevard until the 1950s. Among the many important designs originating there are the molded-plywood DCW (Dining Chair Wood) and DCM (Dining Chair Metal with a plywood seat) (1945); Eames Lounge Chair (1956); the Aluminum Group furniture (1958); the Eames Chaise (1968), designed for Charles's friend, film director Billy Wilder; the playful Do-Nothing Machine (1957), an early solar energy experiment; and a number of toys.

Eames Vitra Lounge chair

• Britain and France hoped that by allowing Germany and Italy to conquer land and dictate, they would eventually stop, satisfied by their new territory and regimes. This plan did backfire as Germany and Italy became powerful and unstoppable forces, invading France and attacking London in ‘The Blitz’ • In the period before WWII, Japan was growing rapidly. As an island nation they did not have the land or the natural resources to sustain their growth. Japan began to look to grow their empire in order to gain new resources. • Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931 and China in 1937. • Pearl Harbour (December 7, 1941

• The Great depression was a catastrophic worldwide economic depression that spanned most of the 1930’s. • The Great depression started in the United States after a major fall in stock prices that began on September 4th, 1929 and became worldwide news with the stock market crash on October 29th, 1929; commonly known as Black Tuesday. • Between 1929 and 1932 worldwide GDP fell by 15%. This can be compared to the Great Recession in the late 2000’s where worldwide GDP fell around 1%. • The Great Depression affected nearly every civilized country with widespread poverty and unemployment. Personal income, tax revenue profits and prices all dropped with international trade plunging 50%. • Unemployment rates in the United States, the economic super power of the time, fell to 25% with some countries reaching rates of 33%. • The depression was especially felt in Australia due to our dependance on agricultural and industrial exports.

• By 1945 the Japanese army had been pushed back to their small island. However, they were still yet to surrender • The first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945. It completely destroyed the city and killed thousands of people • Japan still did not surrender after this first bomb • Another atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan. Thousands more were killed in this second drop. • Fearing for the safety of his people, on August 15, 1945 Japanese Emperor Hirohito announced that Japan would surrender.

1921 First robot built 1922 Insulin invented (diabetes treatment) First 3-D movie (red and green spectacles) 1923 Frozen food 1924 Spiral bound notebooks Dynamic loudspeaker patented by Kellog and Rice 1927 Aerosol can patented Electronic television Technicolor invented - this allowed for color movies to be more widely made 1928 Electric shaver patented Penicillin discovered by Alexander Fleming (antibiotic) 1929 The yo-yo invented

1930 Scotch tape invented Neoprene invented 1932 Polaroid Photography 1935 Radar invented Nylon invented First Canned beer Kodachrome color film, film of choice for seven decades 1938 The ballpoint pen patented by Laszlo Biro LSD first synthesized 1940 First modern color television sys 1941 Z1 by Zuse – first programmable computer 1942 First electronic digital computer 1943 Synthetic rubber invented Slinky and silly putty invented 1945 Atomic bomb invented

match what was availa-

the field, whose work etime. Her practice did d wars, so it is evident ffected by this intense

Gray & Thompson. A Comparitive Essay. Design and architecture have evolved over the past century. From mid-modernism to i-modernism, the modern design style specifically has become universally accepted as an iconic style, however it didn’t start that way. Like any new movement, modernism was met with its fair share of criticism and was almost wiped out in WWII by the Nazi regime. Mid-century modernism is a practical, clean-lined design movement spanning architecture, interior design, furniture, product and graphic design created during the middle of the 20th century. Architects trained in the tenets of Modernism began to experiment with new materials and forms. Their buildings featured technical precision, an expressed structure and a lack of ornamentation. Mid-Century Modern buildings often used sculptural curved forms and fewer 90-degree angles than the international style building. Architects experimented with poured concrete, rather than just steel and glass, and used various prefabricated methods of construction. I-modernism, on the other hand, is far more advanced in regards to materials, processes and design style. Due to the third industrial revolution (the technological revolution of the late 1900s), i-modernism has been launched into modernism, evolving even faster than any era before, having a similar effect on methods of production and design as the first industrial revolution. As this era continues to develop, the progression of material science expands the library of materials as well as availability for designers. What was once thought of to be impossible with earlier materials, becomes considered as a staple or common material in designers’ works. The buildings of i-modernism reflect what was first thought up in the proto-modernism and mid-modernism movements of the early to mid-1900s. The buildings are sculptural and appear to be defying logic and physics

with forms that challenge how we, as humans, see our world and what is in it. Eileen Gray is one of the iconic pioneers for modern architectural and industrial design. Born August 9, 1878, her interests in art and design were encouraged from a young age by her father, James MacLaren Smith, a minor landscape painter of the day. Her serious education started in 1900 at the Slade School of London in fine arts. It was during her studies that she was introduced to Dean Charles and his profession of furniture restoration and the lacquering technique. Gray was so dedicated to learning the trade that she suffered the ‘lacquer disease’, a painful rash on her hands, but that did not stop her from working. Gray moved to Paris, France in 1902 after she finished her education at Slade. In 1910 she opened her first practice and by 1912 she was producing commissioned pieces. She worked as an interior designer, architect and industrial designer. During World War II, her houses were looted and many of her drawings and models were destroyed by bombing. German soldiers used the walls of E-1027 for target practice. At a Paris auction of 1972, Yves Saint Laurent bought ‘Le Destin’ and revived interest in Gray’s career. Eileen Gray died on Halloween 1976. She is buried in the Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris. Kerstin Thompson is an Australian based Architect whose signature style is a very sleek modern. Born in Melbourne in 1965 and continues to work from the Southern City. Thompson completed her studies in architecture at RMIT in 1989. During her undergraduate course, she worked in an Italian based studio (Matteo Thun) as well as a Melbourne based practice (Robinson Chen). In the early 1990’s

she was a lecturer in architectural design at RMIT and she completed her Master’s at the University in 1998. Since 1994 she has run her architectural design firm, Kerstin Thompson Architects (KTA). Through her practice, she has won multiple awards for her residential designs of houses and dwellings. Today she continues to practice as an award-winning leading architect, whilst also being an active panel member of the Victorian Design Review Panel with the office of the Victorian Government Architect.

In both Eileen Gray’s and Kerstin Thompson’s work in architecture and design, there is an acknowledgement of Le Corbusier’s ‘five points of new architecture’, designing including features such as open plan living, with the house built upon pillars, featuring horizontal windows and an open façade and a roof accessible staircase. Both designers use these features in their work, however, pending on the era and the influences of the time how each designer implemented these five points of new architecture into their designs.

Regarding their design style, the two share similarities between their respective iconic buildings; the E-1027 house (Gray) and the House at Lake Connewarre (Thompson). Both buildings reflect the five points of new architecture in a way that is significant to the overall design. The houses are both similar in their open plan living and open façade with horizontal, large windows. Whilst both houses are modern, it is important to also consider how the respective era of design has influenced each

designer. As Gray was one of the first pioneers of this modern design style alongside Le Corbusier, her E-1027 is an acclaimed piece of mid-modernistic design which closely follows the five points of new architecture and it’s requirements. Unlike Thompson’s, whose practice takes place long after Gray and the mid-modernism era and within the i-modernism era, her house acknowledges the five points but does not aim to follow them to a tee.

Unlike Thompson’s pieces, Gray’s work has not been influenced by the international style movement that came about post-WWII, where many different traditional design styles came together to form a new style as a direct result of displaced peoples across Europe and Asia. Her influences came solely from Le Corbusier as she worked quite closely with him. As she was one of the first designers to hone in on modernism, her designs and work were kept strictly to the theme. In comparison, Thompson designs within the i-modernism era, which follows the rise of modernism, internationalism and the third industrial revolution, thus, having a far greater range of influence due to the advancements following WWII. Both designers and their works were received very differently by their audiences and user market. Gray’s pieces were controversial in a sense, as it did not follow the traditional design standards but more of an experimental, new way of thinking about design. Her work pioneered the modernistic style and movement whereas Thompson’s work follows the design style rather than pioneering it as a new way of thinking. Furthermore, Gray’s buildings were mostly destroyed and brought down during the Nazi invasion of France. The Frenchbased designer’s work was seen similarly that that of the Bauhaus; dangerous to the Nazi regime. The modern design style was absent from traditional German design, therefore, a detriment to the rise of Germany. Whilst Grey’s work was received as a dangerous way of design thinking during her time as a practising designer, Thompson’s work is rather celebrated as great pieces of design. Unlike Grey, Thompson’s design thinking has not been challenged or shut down while she has been a practising designer. During Gray’s reign as a pioneering designer, her use of materials was not as vast as Thompson’s, simply due to their respective eras. Mid-modernism – the era Gray practised in—occurred before the creation of thermoplastics and thermosets in the 1960s. Therefore, her material library was limited in comparison to Thompsons, who designs with highly engineered and modern materials. However, although Gray was limited in her material availability in comparison to Thompson, both designers utilise the materials they use in their designs very creatively and in interesting ways, to make the most of the materials. An example of this for Gray is her Aixia chair, which utilises metal to create an interesting stiff shape coupled with a leather seat. This theme of manipulated metal with a leather or hide seat is common amongst her furniture design but its simplicity is exemplary in how designers of the

era worked with what materials they did have. Thompson’s self-directed and owned design practice is primarily an architecture firm. Although she does practice design outside of buildings (such as interior design and urban design), her practice does not delve into the area of Industrial design. Dissimilarly, Gray practised in both architecture and industrial design. Industrial design was an emerging field of during her early years as a designer, therefore, most other designers and artists such as architects created pieces to satisfy the rising demand for furniture and designer pieces. This particularly emerged in the mid-modernism era –Grey’s primary era of practice—Where the idea of owning more objects and materialism came to light with the 1920’s economic boom before the great depression.

Eileen Gray, Designer, 1926.

During both their lives as practising designers, these designers are leading in their creativity within the field of architecture and design. Although Thompson isn’t considered a pioneer of the modernism movement like Gray, she does push the boundaries of design like Gray, utilising Le Corbusier’s method of design thinking (five points of new architecture) to create striking buildings with intriguing features, even though she is not considered a pioneer in the field and held-up in the same manner as Gray. Both women aim to create interesting buildings and spaces, following the modern design style with acknowledgement to Le Corbusier’s ‘five points of new architecture’. Gray was a pioneer of the new design paradigm, involving herself and her work alongside others and this new way of modern thinking whilst Thompson contin

ues to push the paradigm forward into the future as a current architect. It is important to consider how both these designers work in creating their pieces. As referenced, both designers do follow the five points of new architecture as it is evident in their pieces. Through the timeline of both designers careers in comparison to each other, it is suggested that although the materials and techniques used do change over time the core design and stylistic elements do remain barely changed and is consistent from the beginning of the modernism movement to what it is today. Today’s designs in industrial design and architecture, although sometimes experimental, are consistent with what was created and designed at the beginning of this design movement.

Kirsten Thompson, Architect, 2014.

Eileen Gray. 1879 - 1976. 12

Eileen Gray. Considered an important and influential figure in design and architecture, Eileen Gray was one of the leading pioneers of the modernistic design, particularly within the mid-modernism movement. Born August 9, 1878, the Irish architect lead an early life with heavy influence in from the art and design fields. Her interests in art and design were encouraged from a young age by her father, James MacLaren Smith, a minor landscape painter of the day. Her serious education started in 1900 at the Slade School of London in fine arts, where she was among the first women to be admitted into the London school. It was during her studies that she was introduced to Dean Charles and his profession of furniture restoration and the lacquering technique. Gray was so dedicated

to learning the trade that she suffered the ‘lacquer disease’, a painful rash on her hands, but that did not stop her from working. Gray moved to Paris, France in 1902 after she finished her education at Slade, and continued training in lacquer. In 1910 she opened her first practice and by 1912 she was producing commissioned pieces. She worked as an interior designer, architect and industrial designer. During World War II, her houses were looted and many of her drawings and models were destroyed by bombing. German soldiers used the walls of E-1027 for target practice. At a Paris auction of 1972, Yves Saint Laurent bought ‘Le Destin’ and revived interest in Gray’s career. Gray continued to work up to her final days, mostly designing furniture.

A Timeline. Following the important milestones, political and cultural events that occured during Eileen Grayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lifetime.

1879 1921

1933

1898

1934

Eileen Grey born, August 9th in Ireland.

Gray was one of the first women admitted into Slade School of Art.

Rise of Fascism movement. Establishment of Third Italian National Fascist Party. Eileen Gray Designs her ‘Bibendum Chair.’

E-1027 house construction begins.

1902

After graduating, Gray migrates and settles in Paris, France. She continues to practice well into the 20th century.

1914

WWI commences.

1918

WWI ends in allies victory and the Treaty of Versailles.

1920

The Bauhaus is closed and raided by the Nazi Regime.

1922

Insulin invented. The beginnings of diabeties treatement.

1925

Eileen Gray designs her ‘BrickScreen.’ Installed in the ‘Salon, rue de Lota’ in Paris

Electronic television, as well as technicolor invented - this allowed for color movies to be more widely made.

1928

Penicillin discovered by Alexander Fleming (antibiotic)

1929

E-1027 house construction finally completed. The Wall Street Crash followed by the Great Depression.

1932

Establishment and first meeting of the League of Nations.

Polaroid film and photography invented.

Eileen Gray Designs her ‘Salon, rue de Lota’ in Paris.

1927

Eileen Gray designs her ‘E-1027’ Adjustable table. Designed alongside Le Corbusier.

1933

Tragectory of popularity of the Nazi Regime in Germany. Hitler rises to power, becoming the Chancellor of the nation.

Eileen Gray’s building ‘Hose at Castellar’ in Alpes Maritimes, France is completed.

1939

WWII commences.

1945

WWII ends in allies victory. Germany surrenders after suicide of Hitler and closure of the last concertration camp.

The atomic bomb is dropped on Hiroshima and Nagisaki forcing Japan to surrender.

1946

The Leauge of Nations is dissolved. Left the framework for the United Nations.

1976

Eileen Gray passes away on October 31st.

E-1027 house.

A modernist villa on the south coast of France, which was designed by Eileen Gray and lived in by Le Corbusier. Completed in 1929, the building was one of Grayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first major architecture project which heavily reflected Le Corbusierâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s five points of new architecture. Gray also designed all the furnishings for the house. The property is now considered to be one of the most important buildings of the international style.

Architecture. In today’s design landscape, Eileen Gray is considered an important and influential figure in design and architecture. Gray did not study architecture during her time of formal education, but rather began to explore it during the 1920s, once she had established herself as a furniture and interior designer. Although during her lifetime, she did not design many buildings, each one she did was carefully conceived. Her designs were always heavily reminiscent of the strict modernism ideology with clean white facades, open plan living spaces and large windows and terraces, paying special attention to details about functionality and sun-lighting.

Gray worked closely with Le Corbusier, a leading male architect who developed his philosophy of the ‘five points of new architecture.’ An outline of the requirements for a building to be considered ‘modern.’ Even though her designs are now considered as iconic pieces of the mid-modernism design movement, during her time as a practicing designer her work was often disregarded because she was a woman in a field dominated by men.

Tubular Steel. Like many modern design pioneers of her time, Gray began to experiment with tubular steel. The use of steel in her designed furniture pieces was a first major signature of her mid-modernism furniture pieces. By using the thin yet strong material in her pieces, the overall form was simplified, with surfaces for sitting or placing objects almost appearing as though they are floating. These surfaces were also created using a contrasting material. Glass, leather, or even early plastic were used as they all project and absorb light differently, creating contrast with the steel. Tubular steel is also highly versatile were it is able to create both geometric shapes and forms whilst also being used to make a soft, curving form. Grayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Roquebruneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; chair, designed in 1927, began as experimentation of various methods for joining steel at different angles. She experimented with mitre welded joins, bent tubes and flat bar to create that striking, almost floating look.

Lacquered Wood. After finishing her studies at Slade School of Arts, where she was first exposed to the lacquering technique, she started an apprenticeship in a lacquer shop. Even after moving and settling in Paris in 1902, she continued training in lacquer. Her first exhibition featured decorative lacquer panels, which gained her some early recognition. Even in her later works, such as the transat chair, She uses lacquering subtly, almost reminiscent of her roots as a designer and her younger self. Furthermore, lacquering held onto the older styles of furniture design, during the pre-modernism era. Materials such as tubular steel were not as popular during this era, evident in even Grayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s early Dragon Chair, which heavily relies on lacquered wood as a part of its story telling. As she grew as a designer and as the standards of design changed, her style adjusted where her artisan lacquering became more of a subtle design feature rather than the prominent aspect of her designs.

Shape & Form. As Gray’s career went on, she delved deeper into the relm of the modern architectural style. Her ‘De Stijl’ table is an exemplary piece of furniture that closely resembles what would be considered a modern house. The table utilises what would be considered Le Corbusier’s five points of new architecture, which Gray followed strictly in the development, design and creation of her buildings and other architectural creations. That being said, she does occassionally work with softer curves versus the harsh anglular form created in the De Stijl table. The Bibendum Chair utilises soft edges and curvature to create a plush, inviting form with inspiration drawn from the Michellen Man. Gray explores form and shape by drawing inspiration from the world around her, allowing her to create unique and inviting pieces of furniture.

A Gray Design. 29

Ideation.

Concept One. Concept one was inspired by Gray’s strictly modern architectural designs, which heavily followed Le Corbusier’s five points of new architecture. Like Gray’s designs, this table features angular facades with large pieces of glass, playing with sunlight. Gray also used this clean style within some of her furniture pieces. The consistant four-sided shapes can be seen as a theme throughout her family of furniture pieces, keeping with the cleanand modern feel. To be coherant with Gray’s style, coupled with the poular trends for design during the mid-modernism

era, a large piece of glass is to be rested upon anglular steel legs. This sleek design almost creates an illusion where the objects placed atop the table will almost appear as though they are floating, whilst ensuring to not take away from any modern house or building by blending in seemlessly with the environmnet. As a homage to her angular design style, this piece aims to satisfy Le Corbusier’s philosophy regarding the new way of modern architectual thinking, in the same way Gray strived to create buildings that satisfied the philosophy.

Concept Two. This concept is designed to acknowledge Grayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s journey and progression as a practicing designer. The contrasting forms of the wood versus the cushion creates depth in the design. The wood is too be lacquered, the same tehnique Gray leant and studied whilst a student and what brought her early recognition as a designer. The wood is to be designed as angular as possible, creating a fusion of her early laquered wood pieces and her later, strictly-modern pieces. The cushioning is to ensure the chair, although structural, is inviting and plush. Although the bulk of the design is quite angular, the chair should still be comfortable for a user. The plush cushions are too be made of a matte leather, reminiscent of many of Grayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chairs which achieve this inviting feel with the cushioned or quilted leather surfaces that they possess.

Concept Three. Concept 3 is inspired by Gray’s use of tubular steel. In many of her designs, Gray utilises curved, tubular steel to make simple, striking structures. The curviture of the steel is to be mimicked in the curve of the seat. This piece is truly acknowledgeing the form and exploration that Gray undertook exploring steel, therefore, the forms that the steel can create should be evident in this chair’s final design. The legs and supports of the chair will be created using steel, obviously. For the seal itself, the chosen material will be plastic, to acknowledge the early experimentation and discovery of plastic as a material that occured later during Gray’s life.

A Reflection.

Over the course of this semester I have enjoyed studying and learning aobut how art and design changed over the 20th Century as a result of the climactic political and cultural environments around the world. As a self-acclaimed history lover, I enjoyed learning of how particular events and movements affected the field of design and what challenges faced the designers that pioneered the modern design movement. Along the lines of design pioneers of the 20th century, discovering Eileen Gray within my research was quite eye-opening and fascinating in regards to how this field of design has changed over the years. Gray

was a female designer, like myself, but the challenges she faced in getting recognition were so different to what a female designer would face today. Due to this, Grayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work alone cannot be regarded as a design inspiration, but her entire practice and life on the road to becoming a critically acclaimed and iconic designer. In my studies of Gray and mid-modernism, I have developed a new found appreciation for the era and what designs were on offer, as well as the challenges faced by all so called design pioneers and how their evironements affected what they produced.

References. o ARAM | Eileen Gray. 2019. ARAM | Eileen Gray. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www. eileengray.co.uk/. o Study.com. 2016. Eileen Gray: Biography, Furniture & Architecture | Study.com. [ONLINE] Available at: https://study.com/academy/lesson/eileen-gray-biography-furniture-architecture.html. o ThoughtCo. 2019. About Eileen Gray, Furniture Designer and Architect. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.thoughtco.com/eileen-gray-nonconformist-designer-and-architect-177407. o Villa E-1027 — Cap Moderne. 2019. Villa E-1027 — Cap Moderne. [ONLINE] Available at: https://capmoderne.com/en/lieu/la-villa-e-1027/. o Kerstin Thompson Architects. 2019. Kerstin Thompson Architects. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.kerstinthompson.com/. o Kerstin Thompson Architects. 2019. Projects | Kerstin Thompson Architects. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.kerstinthompson.com/index.php?s=projects&smd_tag=01featured. o Art Design & Architecture. 2019. Professor Kerstin Thompson - Art Design & Architecture. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.monash.edu/mada/about-us/people/academic-staff/adjunct-staff/kerstin-thompson. o Plan n Design. 2019. 8 Most Known Materials Used in Modern Architecture | Plan n Design. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.planndesign.com/articles/3382-8-most-known-materials-used-modern-architecture. o Bloomberg -The Reason Behind Midcentury Modern’s Global Success. 2019. Bloomberg -James Tarmy. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/photo-essays/2019-10-01/why-mid-century-modernism-architecture-remains-a-global-success. o The Spruce. 2019. Characteristics of Mid-Century Modern Style. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.thespruce.com/things-you-should-know-about-mid-century-1391827. o ELLE Decor. 2019. Modern Design vs. Contemporary Design - Difference Between Modern and Contemporary styles. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.elledecor.com/design-decorate/trends/a13098062/contemporary-vs-design/.

o www.metmuseum.org. 2019. Art as Influence and Response: A First Look at World. War I and the Visual Arts [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.metmuseum.org/blogs/nowat-the-met/2017/world-war-i-and-the-visual-arts-introduction. o TheFreeDictionary.com. 2019. Engineered materials - definition of Engineered materials by The Free Dictionary. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.thefreedictionary.com/ Engineered+materials. o What are the current trends in architecture? - Quora. 2019. What are the current trends in architecture? - Quora. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.quora.com/What-arethe-current-trends-in-architecture.