Designer Crafts Chairs from Thousands of Manila Paper Pieces

FDT Bureau

Designer Brian Thoreen recently unveiled an innovative furniture concept titled Paragraphic in Four Stacks as part of an exhibition at Masa gallery during Mexico City art week. Thoreen’s creation comprises four distinct chairs, each constructed from an astonishing 3,000 stacked pieces of manila paper, commonly used in envelopes. Know more about it on FURNITURE DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY (FDT).

What makes these chairs truly unique is the meticulous process behind their assembly. Each sheet of paper is individually glued to the one below it, with the glueing confined to the seat area. This strategic placement creates natural tension, causing the edges of the paper to tilt upwards, forming the backrest of the chair. Thoreen’s exploration into using manila paper stacks at furniture scale marks a pioneering venture in design. Reportedly, the project required the collaborative effort of 10 individuals working tirelessly for a month to wrinkle and glue together the thousands of paper pieces.

The exhibition, hosted by Masa gallery, served as a platform for Thoreen’s groundbreaking creation, alongside works by other esteemed artists and designers. Among the notable pieces showcased were wall hangings crafted from resin and steel by British artist Rachel Whiteread, and a series of stacked terracotta blocks illuminated by LED lights, conceptualized by Mexican artist Hector Zamora. EWE, a local design studio, contributed a monumental bench carved from pink Portuguese marble, featuring distinctive semi-circular cut-outs for seating. Additionally, Florida-based sculptor Mark Handforth presented a towering cast aluminum sculpture titled Bela Lugosi, juxtaposed with Hector Esrawe’s contemporary stainless-steel-rod-lined Frecuencia Bench.

Image credit: Alejandro Ramirez