(smow)offline: Beware fake Eames Lounge Chairs and Ottomans

In these pages we have often described the dangers and problems associated with non-licensed copies of design classics.

And now thanks to Core 77 a particularly appalling case from the USA has been brought to our attention…as the images below show.

Xlounge x 3 by Mark Wentzel

OK it is art, and specifically an installation by conceptual sculptor Mark Wentzel for the Global Health Odyssey Museum in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Entitled XLounge x 3 the show is, according to the PR blurb ” … a series of cleverly-adapted Eames Lounge Chairs and Ottomans responding to the apparent consequences of the over-consumption of goods and materials of recent years. Designed in 1956 by the legendary American designers Charles and Ray Eames with mass production in mind, this iconic furniture has come to typify a particular standard for stylish and enduring design products. Artist Mark Wentzel invokes a more universal application in XLounge, alluding to topics of global obesity and consumption, and the potential cooperation among artists, designers, scientists and manufacturers to address such issues.”
Which we think would appeal to Charles and Ray Eames who strived throughout their careers to use their talent for the benefit of all. And certainly there are features of the design principle behind the Eames Lounge Chair that would be applicable across other projects.

If your planning being in or near Atlanta, Georgia in the next few  weeks the exhibition runs until September 11.

And officially licensed, and usable, Eames Lounge Chairs from Vitra are always available from smow.