BIOGRAPHY
Born in Denmark on 13th February 1926 Verner Panton initially studied fine art and became known as an accomplished artist. He later went on to study architecture at the Royal Danish Academy of Art in Copenhagen. Working as an architect in the early 1950’s he developed innovative architectural proposals such as “the collapsible house’, ‘the cardboard house’, and ‘the plastic house’. Experimenting with furniture in the late 50’s and early 60’s he developed the much acclaimed ‘Panton S chair’ a single moulded plastic chair. Refusing to accept the notion of gravity he went on to create ‘the flying chair’. From these explorations in furniture he went on to develop fantasy landscapes and immersive interior environments such as the ‘Visiona II’ for Bayer in 1970. Throughout his career he was known for his funky and futuristic designs, use of vibrant and exotic colours, and innovative use of materials. Although many considered his style to be very “1960’s” he regained popularity in the late 20th century through the ‘Memphis movement’. Verner Panton died on the 5th September 1998 is now considered to be one of the most influential talents of the 20th century in design and architecture.
MANIFESTO II. “Beautiful can be ugly. Ugly can be beautiful.” I. Colour is more important than form: Panton’s furniture have a definite lean toward colour over form. He is quoted as saying: “To me colour is more important than form. However, this is not the case when I am looking at women.” This preference of colour over form is evident when looking at his pieces. Many of his designs have a simple framework that supplement a bold centrepiece. Other pieces ignore practical form and focus on the interaction of colours.
This ideal is represented in his designs as he uses many irregular shapes that do not seem coherent together nor are they similar to the traditional forms the objects take. His exploration of colour also conveys his desire to make ugly beautiful, often using colour merely as a method of highlighting a surface or a face of an object. III. Reimagining conventionality. Panton’s designs go against the conventional design ideas of his contemporaries. He wants to reinvent traditional living arrangements and area’s to change people’s perspectives as to how they could live and act in a space. His Visiona series of living environments express his desire to change how spaces are perceived and used.
LEGACY
Panton is said to have designed through a childs eye in order to keep his work playful and happy which has resulted in the use of bright, vibrant colours. As a consequence some of Panton’s furniture pieces provide an abstract perspective that most furniture does not allow you to experience. His focus on the re-imagining of traditional and contemporary spaces is evident in modern design also. A lot of effort is made to transform spaces using colour and lighting a process that Panton was a huge proponent of. His designed environments have a distinct retrofuturist aesthetic, mixing hard colours with organic, encompassing forms. These were mimiced and influenced many science fiction films of the 70’s and 80’s. He was innovative with materials which generated new ideas of form. In particular he designed ‘singular forms’ that created the furniture piece in one form. While many of his designs, by todays standards would be considered kitsch, he was largely influential over post-modernist design, in particular during the Memphis design movement that his work contributed to quite heavily.
QUOTE
“The main purpose of my work is to provoke people into using their imagination. Most people spend their lives housing in dreary, grey- beige conformity, mortally afraid of using colours. By experimenting with lighting, colours, textiles and furniture and utilizing the latest technologies, I try to show new ways, to encourage people to use their phantasy and make their surroundings more exciting.”
One of Panton’s main goals was to enhance areas from spaces in which furniture exists to environments. This quote explains that he is bored with the bland, conformity of his era of design. In his era spaces were areas in which you placed objects and furniture and then interacted with them. He desired to make the environment interactive and playful, confusing the traditional sense of space. His preference of colour over form was one way he transformed spaces by controlling the mood through his use of light and colour.
INFLUENCE Ron Arad Soft big easy chair Ron Arad’s ‘ Soft Big Easy Chair’ takes design cues from Verner Panton’s ‘Living Tower’ chair in the way that the negative or cut away parts are just as important in terms of form as the positive parts. It also uses a bright bold colour such as red much like the ‘Living Tower’. The ‘Soft Big Easy Chair’ also incorporates bold geometric curves and linear angles with a design that integrates the base and seat as one holistic unit.
OTHER WORKS
Wire Cone Chair, A purely industrial product, up to then wire had primarily been used for constructions concealed from view.
Two level seat, “We sometimes have a physical need to place ourselves in a third spatial position one half way between the vertical motion of day and the horizontal rest of the night hours”.
Panton Chair, Panton ‘s occupation with the idea of a one piece chair is evident in the stackable cantilevered chair.
Pantanova, The modular chairs create an industrial form when they are placed together with the table.
REFERENCES Ott, Marlene. “Progressive Design for a Progressive Journal: Verner Panton’s Interiors for the Spiegel Building in Hamburg.” Studies in the Decorative Arts (2009): 96-122. Watson, Anne. Mod to Memphis: design in colour 1960s-80s. Sydney: Powerhouse Pub., 2002. Print. Topham, Sean. Where’s my Space Age? The rise and fall of futuristic design. London Pub, Prestel. 2003.