marcel wanders: cyborg for magis

marcel wanders: cyborg for magisimage courtesy of marcel wanders

‘cyborg’ is a series of three chairs by marcel wanders for italian furniture manufacturing company magis.

in 1960 the term cyborg – which refers to an organism that has both artificial and natural systems – was coined by manfred clynes. then in 1965, D.S. halacy’s evolution of the superman, featured an introduction which spoke of a ‘bridge… between mind and matter.’ the friction we feel between the natural and artificial world is actually a misconception, as there is no artificial world. there is only a natural world under the influence of its own nature. we are part of this system of trial and error, survival of the fittest. in a way, everything has been done before… there are no new ideas left… however, there are the occasions in which to create new combinations, new connections between the things we take for granted and tangle them in a way to create unexpected changes, poetic insights… technical twists which breathe a new life into the world.

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wanders’ ‘cyborg’ chairs utilize wicker in an unexpected way. typically the durable woven fiber is used to construct a piece of furniture in its structural entirety. here, the dutch designer has combined the traditional material with plastic, developing a different aesthetic with the two familiar mediums. wicker has been woven in new patterns or formations utilized as a structural back support, while the seat itself is made from a polycarbonate base. 

up close of the wicker detail image © designboom

 front view of another ‘cyborg’ chair with a geometric pattern woven to form the shell of the seat

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detail of the wicker work image © designboom

‘cyborg’ explores new means of using wicker in furniture applications image © designboom

‘we have to remind ourselves of the story tales we were told as children, these well-intended lies that taught us how to dream. as designers we have to lie like poets, to pair the unexpected to convey our imaginative vision. we can enhance the world with a dream, a pairing. I love these little moments… they are always welcome in my world!‘ – MW

front view

side view

a more traditional rendering of a wicker chair image © designboom

installation view of the ‘cyborg’ chairs at the magis booth during salone del mobile 2010 image © designboom

technical drawing

concept sketches

‘cyborg’ chair typologies