R & Company

Richard Marquis, Small Granulare Vessel on Pyramid Puzzle, 1997, Glass and wood.

Gianni Pettena’s Set of Four Wearable Chairs (1971) holds a singular place within Italian Radical Design and within his broader exploration of the relationship between the body, objects, and the built environment. Made during his residency at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, the chairs emerged from a performance, Vestirsi di Sedie (Wearable Chairs), in which participants carried and wore folding chairs through the city—turning a familiar domestic object into an extension of the body. ⁠
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The chairs remain unfinished without a body. They become functional and symbolic only when worn and activated by the user. In doing so, they challenge established design hierarchies and suggest a more fluid relationship between people and the spaces they move through.⁠
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Pettena’s Wearable Chairs is currently on view at 64 White Street as part of ‘The Chair, Collected’ on view through June 6.

Pamela Weir-Quiton, Elephant Storage Box, 1970, Shedua wood.

Garry Knox Bennett, African Chair, 1988, Claro walnut, leather, ebony, copper and beads.

Hanging lamp in copper with an opaline glass globe, Italy, 1950s.⁠
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Discover more: link in bio⁠
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