#fiberglass

[zegalba]

H. R. Giger: Harkonnen Chair (1965)

[miamaimania]

Kerry James Marshall's 'Vignette', acrylic / fiberglass, 2003

[remash]

viggsö ~ arrhov frick arkitektkontor | photos © mikael olsson

[moodboardmix]

‘Blue Dream,’ Long Island, New York,

Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS R)

[almostarts]

Gaetano Pesce (8 November 1939 – 3 April 2024)

Moving against the stream of rational, functional modernism in the 1960s and early 70s, Mr. Pesce experimented with materials and production methods to create furniture pieces imbued with political or religious meaning for brands from Cassina to B&B Italia.

Many would go on to become icons of Italian design including the Up5 chair – an innovative vacuum-packed chair designed to resemble a female prisoner – which he designed for B&B Italia precursor C&B.

Pesce moved to New York in 1983 and began to move away from mass production to create "standardised series" in everyday materials like resin, adapting conventional production techniques to create varied and imperfect outcomes.

The result are pieces such as the 1884 Pratt chair, which toe the line between functional design and decorative art, helping to create a new category that would later become collectible design.

Mr. Pesce was born in the Italian city of La Spezia in November 1939, only two months after the start of world war two.

As was common at the time, he trained in both architecture and design, studying first at the University of Venice and later at the Venice Institute of Industrial Design.

Among his architecture projects is the Organic Building in Osaka from 1993, with its plant-covered facade made of orange fiberglass that served as a precursor to today's vegetation-covered green walls.

But Mr. Pesce's most pioneering and well-known work happened in the world of design. In the late 1960s, he became one of the leaders of Italy's Radical Design movement, rejecting modernism's rigid focus on forms dictated by function.

Instead, Pesce focused on the idea that functional objects, much like art, could carry a deeper message.

One of the most famous examples is the controversial Up5 chair from 1969, which manufacturer B&B Italia describes as "the first product of Italian design with a political meaning".

Rest In Power !

"Up 5 & 6" Dressed Up Chair & Ottoman, 1969 – 2014, Polyurethane foam, fabric, Height: 40.5 in (102.87 cm)Width: 47 in (119.38 cm)Depth: 51 in (129.54 cm)Seat Height: 16 in (40.64 cm),

“Square Airport Lamp” (1986/1994). Photography by Elizabeth Carababas/The Future Perfect. Light sculpture consisting of a flexible rubber membrane studded with small light bulbs. Although made from a mold, no two lamps are alike, due to the imperfections that arise from the hand-mixing and pouring of colored urethane. H 92 - W 65 Cm,

"Feltri" Armchair for Cassina, 1980 -1989, Felt, Fabric, Resin, Width: 156 cm, Depth: 80 cm, Height: 129 cm, Seat height:42 cm, Courtesy: Oldera,

"Pratt Chair #7," 1984 2018 (purple), 2018, Transparent polyurethane, :93 x 53 x 53 cm. (36.6 x 20.9 x 20.9 in.),

"The Cabinet of The Tired Man," 2018, Photo: Courtesy of Salon 94 Design and Gaetano Pesce,

"Tramonto a New York" three-door screen, for Cassina, Made of coloured resin, hinges and feet in burnished brass, Width: 221, Height: 199,

"Organic" Building, Osaka, Japan, Completed in 1993 to embody the corporate ideal of Oguraya Yamamoto Co., Ltd,

"La In-Portante" Modular Bookshelf from the "Abbraccio" Series, 2010. Comprising 57 adjustable polyurethane resin shelves. Produced by Le Fablier, Italy. Polyurethane resin, painted wood, lacquered metal, 86½ x 118¾ x 16⅞ in. (219.7 x 301.6 x 42.6 cm) Courtesy of Sotheby's,

La Michetta Modular Sofa,Compostion of 8 by Meritalia, Structure in Lacquered Wood Seat with Elastic Belts, Flexible Polyurethane & Fiberfill Padding, Dimensions: W370 x D245cm,

Unique 'Ireland' table, Made of polyurethane and metal. The table was made and exhibited in 1996 by Gallery Mourmans, Knokke-Zoute, Belgium. It was part of a series of 'EU tables', where all 15 member countries were represented as a table, in this case Ireland. The top of the table has the shape of the outlines of the country and it stands on legs in the shape of question marks. W.80.71 in;H.28.74 in;D.57.09 in; (W.205 cm;H.73 cm;D.145 cm), Courtesy: Incollect.

[greenbookreclaim]

Red Moss Room

There was an insane amount of red moss growing in this dining room.

[skf-fineart]

Takashi Murakami (b. 1962)

My Lonesome Cowboy, 1998

Oil, acrylic, fiberglass and iron

100 x 46 x 36 in.

[kply-industries]

I was gonna say it's kinda strange for the Pink Panther to be shilling tires in Japan, but in America he's mostly known for fiberglass insulation.

[abstracteddistractions]

Alex Hubbard, "Not Yet Titled, April 06," 2010,

Fibreglass, Resin, and Acrylic Enamel on Canvas,

183 by 127 cm. (72 by 50 in.),

Courtesy: Sotheby's

[batwynn]

So. My hands are very itchy and sparkly. I’m assuming ‘other fibers’ means fiberglass, right?

[zegalba]

Nick Van Woert: Disappear (2012) medium: fiberglass

[materialsscienceandengineering]

Fiberglass Recycling

Fiberglass is a type of composite that consists of a polymer material reinforced with glass fibers. Because of the nature of many composites, and the separation that recycling would entail, fiberglass is not often recycled and is considered to be difficult to recycle. This is particularly the case if thermoset polymers are used (as opposed to thermoplastic polymers), which cannot currently be recycled. Typically, when fiberglass is recycled, it is ground down before separation occurs between the plastic and glass components, and only the glass is often recycled. It should be noted that fiberglass is often made from recycled glass as a raw material to begin with. As the demand to recycle fiberglass increases, interest also grows in developing the infrastructure and policies needed to do so.

Sources/Further Reading: (Image source - ThePaGerS) (Composites World) (2022 article) (Wikipedia)

[remash]

shed ~ sauermartins | photo © pedro kok

[wayoutwest]

Hung like a bear - Oregon

Harry Snowden

[almostarts]

Ricardo Fasanello, "Esfera" lounge armchairs,

Espasso, Brazil, c. 1975 / 21st century,

Fiberglass, resin, leather,

44¼ h × 37½ w × 45 d in (112 × 95 × 114 cm)

[oldshowbiz]

Roadside Man of Fiberglass