Material: Plywood
Date: 1999
H: 750mm W: 890mm L: 750mm
‘The Slice chair was constructed with the same adeptness an architect would employ to create a topological map of the landscape, evoking the illusion of a piece of furniture cut away from a cliff face and scaled to human proportions.’ Bradley Quinn, in Scandinavian Style. First drawn by hand and later modelled in clay, the Slice chair combines organic shapes with cutting-edge technology. Slice is constructed as an assemblage of horizontal cross-sections that stack together into a uniquely lateral profile. Laser-cut to a thickness of only 3mm, each individual layer resembles a two-dimensional abstraction more than it does a hi-tech component. Although the process was inspired by rapid prototyping methods, Bengtsson worked with more traditional materials. His starting point was to create a new form by using clay, which he then sliced in horizontal layers and manipulated digitally. The result was a surprising shape that blurred the distinctions between armrests, backrest, legs and frame. Produced in limited-editions, versions of the Slice chair have been manufactured in aluminium, plywood, cardboard and foam. The plywood model has been likened to topographical maps of a desert canyon, or said to evoke a rock face that has been eroded by the sea. Constructed in aluminium, the chair is transformed into a strikingly futuristic silhouette that imparts an elegant machine aesthetic. The latest version is crafted in foam, and weighs only four kilos. Slice chair was acquired by the The Contemporary Arts Museum in Houston and the Manchester Art Galleries, England....more
