"The Rover Chair was the launching point
of Ron Arad's career, was the first successfully design for his
studio. One off and is emblematic of his early readymade creations.
Having competed his studies at the Architectural Association, in
London, Arad crossed over into the world of design when, while
scavenging in a scrap yard, he was struck by the engineering and
craftsmanship of some discarded leather seats from a Rover 2 litre,
inspired by their comfort and availability he bought two(in red,which
he later found out to be very rare). These he dismantled and anchored
in tubular - steel frames using Kee Klamps, an inexpensive scaffolding
system invented in the 1930's, for cow milking stalls. On boxing
day in 1981 Arad sold the first two Rover chairs (unknowingly) to
Jean Paul Gautier, who had knocked o the window of his closed studio.
These chairs soon became hugely popular, but Arad stopped producing
them once the supply of usable seats was exhausted.
Although he was aware at this time of many illustrious artistic experiments
made with found objects, his intention was not to participate in
this legacy. Nor, he insists was recycling, although the Rover had
been misinterpreted as an environmental statement. He had not conceived
this design as a manifesto of any kind. It was simply something that
he could do that was easy and, above all, different. and it was the
Rover Chair that brought Ron Arad into the world of international
design. |
