kueng caputo: dolce vita chair
‘dolce vita chair’ photo by marcus gaab
swiss-born partnership kueng caputo (lovis caputo and sarah keung) practice design with an emphasis on understatements and a bit of improvisation. their ‘dolce vita chair’ is a continuation of their previous ‘sandwich chairs’, which takes four classic horgenglarus (oldest chair and table manufacturer in switzerland) chairs and sandwiches them, hamburger-style, with foam offcuts.
kueng caputo wanted to take the theme of doubling and excess one step further by reducing the ‘elegant’ variety to a simpler and more banal form with two ubiquitous, mass produced, monobloc plastic chairs sandwiched together by a more primitive filling of polyurethane foam. they liked the idea that the chairs are both attractive and repulsive. they are the ‘mega-tart’ and ‘moldy-mountain’ in one: dolce vita.
detail of the plastic monobloc chairs sandwiched together with polyurethane foam
‘dolce vita’ is currently on show as part of ‘freak show: strategies for (dis) engagement in design at the helmrinderknecht contemporary design, berlin until january 15th, 2011.
prototype / process image
prototype / process image
kueng caputo’s previous ‘sandwich chairs’ which were the starting point for ‘dolce vita’
kueng caputo (3 articles)
art basel miami beach: sand chair series by kueng caputo
'copy' by kueng caputo
design news
COS + phillip k. smith III reveal reflective 'open sky' installation in a milanese palazzo
#design
TONIGHT, join designboom and COS on facebook LIVE for an evening in conversation with phillip k. smith III on his awe-inspiring installation 'open sky' in milan. »
TONIGHT, join designboom and COS on facebook LIVE for an evening in conversation with phillip k. smith III on his awe-inspiring installation 'open sky' in milan. we are planning to go live at 7:00pm (milan time) – don't miss it!
nendo's solo exhibition 'forms of movement' showcases tactile designs of time, air and motion
#design
designboom interviews nendo founder oki sato on his showcasing of 10 different collaborations with japanese manufacturers using unique materials and advanced »
designboom interviews nendo founder oki sato on his showcasing of 10 different collaborations with japanese manufacturers using unique materials and advanced techniques.
sony hidden senses exhibition transforms ordinary objects with extraordinary technology
#design
open throughout milan design week 2018, we interviewed yutaka hasegawa, VP of sony design, and hirotaka tako, chief art director at sony creative centre, about »
open throughout milan design week 2018, we interviewed yutaka hasegawa, VP of sony design, and hirotaka tako, chief art director at sony creative centre, about the 'hidden senses'.
konstantin grcic designs a mobile disco smart car concept for mercedes-benz
#design
konstantin grcic delves into club culture, taking the german automobile company's smart car division on a night out with a mobile disco and DJ booth.
konstantin grcic delves into club culture, taking the german automobile company's smart car division on a night out with a mobile disco and DJ booth.
horror
Whatever…
Jerszy Seymour does it better… and since a long time.
go fishing!
do you call this design??!!!
oooook…
I wish we would all just look past the fact that someone else has done something similar before hand. Everything is influenced by something else, so of course in every project there are going to be characteristics which are familiar to us.
Sure, there is no doubt that the use of polyurethane foam has been exercised by Jerszy Symour, but this idea of sandwiching with the material is different.
Stix, well put, also people have to get over disliking something the first time they see it, just take it in because down the road it may become a favorite. It’s happens to us all, you have to give it time it may be ahead of where you are.
You’ve done it again Designboom!
Yet another timeless classic that isn’t a a complete waste of materials!
Great job!
formally & conceptually brilliant. Can’t wait to go see it on display today!
..could be interesting if further developed and refined, still seems very experimental… maybe the foam surfaces could be hand-finished into a smooth, flowing plane…great pieces are the result of an ever-evolving process…