The Glass Chair was inspired by Japanese designer Shiro Kuramata’s longstanding dissatisfaction with silicone as a means of combining transparent materials (such as acrylic resin). He had been searching for an alternative that would not leave any visible marks. Realising that Photobond 100 – a UV-curing acrylate adhesive that had recently been developed – would allow him to firmly and invisibly attach the edge of a plate of glass to a glass surface, Kuramata promptly drew up the plans for Glass Chair, which was then realised using 12 mm strong glass sheets. In many ways, Glass Chair is Kuramata’s most paradoxical design. The fragile glass, the frameless design and transparent object all betray the ordinary image of a chair and its function, though the form still signifies a chair.
Text: Keiko Hashimoto
