Vienna Design Week 2012: Misfits Revisited – Create your own Thonet

Was it not Pulp who in 1995 prophesied that the world would soon be dominated and controlled by mis-shapes, mistakes and misfits: the great silent majority who feel themselves intimidated by their alleged imperfections and deviations from society’s norm. If only they could realise that they were so numerous, that they have something to offer and that society’s imposed ideas of perfection were our modern golden calf, their future would be so promising…..

Under the title “Misfits Revisited” Vienna based design studio breadedEscalope have teamed up with Vienna originating manufacturer Thonet to explore in how far furniture mis-shapes, mistakes and misfits can help us better understand, develop and use materials, form, processes and tradition.

“Misfits Revisited” kicked-off at Vienna Design Week 2012 with a series of “Pimp my Thonet Waste” workshops.

The idea was very simple, Thonet brought a load of production waste from Frankenberg to Vienna. And design week visitors built new pieces of furniture.

With some truly excellent results. And an awful lof of works that even Victor Frankenstein would have problems loving.

But the workshops were of course about more than simply gluing faulty Thonet parts together.

They were about experimenting with form and function. Deciding yourself  how you realise a particularly functionality. Looking at a challenge and finding a solution. Demystifying iconography. Having fun with the creative process.

The workshops in Vienna were just the start of what is and should be a longer and more multi-faceted co-opertaion between breadedEscalope and Thonet. We’ll keep you updated.

And if we’ve read correctly between the lines the workshops will be repeated elsewhere soon.

Watch local press for details, as it were…