No. 270/Blow
Designed by:
De Pas J
Co-Designed by:
D Urbino D
Designer:
Jonathan De Pas
Co-Designer:
Donato D Urbino
Country of Origin (Designer):
Italy
Date of Design:
1967
Date of Manufacture:
1968
Decade:
1960s
Region:
Europe
Significance:
Most commercially sucessful inflatable chair
Manufacturer:
Zanotta
Country of Origin (Manufacturer):
Italy
Material:
PVC
Process:
Monobloc:
No
Cantilever:
No
Renewable Carbon:
No
ERPR Score:
NA
ERPR Rating:
NA
Weight:
Note:
The Blow chair captured the pop emphericality of the moment – promoing a casual lifestyle though its playfull and colourfull appearance appealing to the youth market.
Built from thin sheets of plastic and air the Blow chair was not made to last, although it was supplied with a puncture repair kit. In fact it celebrated its dispsablity – its light weight promoting movablity and poistively encouraging misuse. The trasparent appearance highligted the weightlessness of the chair and the innovations used in the design. Each individual panel for the chair is cut from a flat, thin plastic sheet like a sewing pattern. High frequency welding enabled the PVC (polyvinyl chloride) panels to be joined together, by heating the seams and applying pressure. The molecules of the two sheets then blend together creating a strong and permanent join. Only air is used to provide comfort – regulated by the owner throgh the foot pump supplied. Inflatible rubber boats had been an inspiration for the design – however, experiments with production techiques used to crete boats, invloving gluing the components together, were not suitable for the transparent PVC the design team wanted to use.
Image Credit:
Zanotta S.p.A.