Are You Sitting Comfortably?

Exhibition of Classic Design Chairs Launched at IT Carlow The design evolution of perhaps the most used piece of furniture – the chair - is at the centre of a new exhibition that has opened at IT Carlow.

Are You Sitting Comfortably? showcases classic designs in chairs by a series of world-famous designers and was curated by designCORE (Design Centre of Research & Enterprise) in IT Carlow as part of Design Week 2014.  The exhibition features, amongst others: Robin Day’s Polyprop Chair, the biggest-selling British designed chair; the Barcelona Chair, popular from the 1930s to the 1950s; the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman, made from moulded plywood and leather; the Series 7 Chair, the most copied in the world and the best-selling Thonet 18 or ‘Bistro’ chair, with 50 million alone sold between 1860 and 1930.

IT Carlow’s Industrial Design students were also involved in the initiative and built the exhibition stands that house a series of miniature chairs.  They include the Hill House Chair, the Bocca Lips Sofa, the S Chair, Lounge chair and Bibendum Chair.

Are You Sitting Comfortably?  marks the start of designCORE & Institute of Technology Carlow’s contribution to ‘ID2015 - Year of Irish Design’. 2015 has been designated Year of Irish Design by the Design & Crafts Council of Ireland. 2015 also marks the 40th Anniversary of Design Education provision in the southeast region.  The designCORE group at IT Carlow are presently working with regional partners to engage in this important initiative with numerous activities planned throughout the year.

“Design is something we see around us but unfortunately we tend to overlook or even take for granted. The purpose of this exhibition is to celebrate design, look at design, appreciate its beauty and realise the emotions and power of recall that chairs can evoke”, commented Hilary Dempsey, industrial Design Lecturer at IT Carlow.  “The chair is essentially human and part of who we are. They stand so we can sit. They are an intimate part of our lives, they touch or bodies but they also touch our hearts. The average person sits on seven different chairs in a day but we seldom take time to notice or appreciate them”.

Are You Sitting Comfortably? is situated inside the entrance to the main campus at IT Carlow and continues until the end of November. Attendees are invited to make a small donation to the Carlow branch of the Irish Wheelchair Association.

ENDS

Alma Feeley, Communications Dept.
t: +353 (0)59 9175083
e: alma.feeley@itcarlow.ie