Charles and Ray Eames Plastic Chairs. Reprise.

While researching our post “Eames Alchemy. Or how Charles and Ray Eames turned steel into plastic…..” the most remarkable discovery came in the New York Museum of Modern Arts’ press release announcing the opening of the Low-Cost Furniture Design Exhibition:¹

“Perhaps the greatest advantage of this chair is the extraordinary lustre and soft, smooth surface of the plastic which, strengthened by the silky threads of glass imbedded within it, quickly absorb room temperatures. Never before used in furniture, this airplane plastic is virtually indestructable and withstands stains and mars.”

“…withstands stains and mars”

!!!!

Now clearly it could just be a typo. The could mean “marks.”

But this was May 1950.

The same month as the famous McMinnville UFO photographs were taken, and in a age when sightings of UFOs in America were more common than sightings of Big Macs.

America was in Martian mania.

And so a chair which, in addition to providing comfort and dash of colour to your home, also helped protect against alien invasions…. just makes the most perfect sense.

In addition to obviously being one hell of a sales argument.

So we don’t think it was a typo. We think the MoMA, and probably the FBI, knew exactly what they were writing……..

We sadly cannot confirm if the modern polypropylene Eames plastic armchairs and side chairs can also protect against marauding Martians.

But just as soon as we’ve plucked up the courage, we will ask Vitra…..

1 Museum of Modern Art, New York “Prize-winning furniture in the International Low-Cost Furniture Design Competition to go on exhibition at the museum” http://www.moma.org/pdfs/docs/press_archives/1430/releases/MOMA_1950_0039_1950-05-08_500508-34.pdf Accessed 22.11.2013