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Lot Essay
These chairs were conceived in an atmosphere of radical innovation and experimentation by two great British contemporary designers: the innovative textile designer, Professor Ann Sutton MBE (b.1935), and the renowned furniture designer John Makepeace OBE FCSD FRSA (b.1939) in 1974. They worked in partnership on several pieces during the early seventies, whilst also married (1964-1983); living and working in a converted barn in Farnborough, Banbury. These chairs form a small group of collaborative pieces; the first pair, with blue thread running through the orange and green woven tubes were commissioned by an Oxford College; the second production was a set of four commissioned for the architect, David Landaw, using the psychedelic green and orange scheme. These two examples are from this set created in 1974.
The internal steel frame was designed and made by John Makepeace himself (shortly after this phase Makepeace employed craftsmen to realise his designs). The three-legged design was to become one of Makepeace’s signatures. In the terms of functionality, three legs form a stable structure and the ergonomic design of the seat and back were a purposeful experiment. John Makepeace has stated "Artists draw constant stimulus from the beauty of the human form; chairs can reflect that. For me, chairs are about people so in a way they 'animate' a room when there is nobody there!" Ann Sutton, who has been continuously challenged by exploring new materials, colour and movement, used a 150-year-old sock making machine to weave the woollen tubes up to 40 meters in length, which she called her “jumbo thread”. These were then filled with Dacron, grafted together and coiled around the structure. The result is an expressive embodiment of a joie de vivre through radical experimentation with form and materials by both artists.
With thanks to Ann Sutton for assistance in compiling this note.
The internal steel frame was designed and made by John Makepeace himself (shortly after this phase Makepeace employed craftsmen to realise his designs). The three-legged design was to become one of Makepeace’s signatures. In the terms of functionality, three legs form a stable structure and the ergonomic design of the seat and back were a purposeful experiment. John Makepeace has stated "Artists draw constant stimulus from the beauty of the human form; chairs can reflect that. For me, chairs are about people so in a way they 'animate' a room when there is nobody there!" Ann Sutton, who has been continuously challenged by exploring new materials, colour and movement, used a 150-year-old sock making machine to weave the woollen tubes up to 40 meters in length, which she called her “jumbo thread”. These were then filled with Dacron, grafted together and coiled around the structure. The result is an expressive embodiment of a joie de vivre through radical experimentation with form and materials by both artists.
With thanks to Ann Sutton for assistance in compiling this note.