watch chair times, a film that documents the many-sided world of chairs

VITRA has announced the online screening of chair times — a film that documents the many-sided world of chairs — for free during the COVID-19 crisis. directed by heinz bütler, the movie takes herzog and demeuron’s VITRA schaudepot as the starting point for the cinematic journey, recounting the story of 125 seating objects dating from 1807 to the latest 3D printed designs, resulting in a comprehensive timeline of modern seating design.

‘chairs are important witnesses of their time,’ comments rolf fehlbaum, chairman emeritus of VITRA. ‘this is true regardless of whether they express the fashion of a momentary trend or represent an epochal idea. they are portraits of their users and reflections of the production methods from which they emerge. thus we are able to perceive and comprehend an era – its social organization, its materials and technology, its aesthetic tastes – by observing its chairs. I would even claim that chairs are more multifaceted than any other everyday object.’

the chair times – a history of seating film also features a roaster of experts, including designers hella jongerius, antonio citterio, and ronan bouroullec; architects and collectors arthur rüegg and ruggero tropeano, architect david chipperfield, peter noever as director emeritus of mak vienna/los angeles, VITRA design museum director mateo kries, and VDM curators amelie klein and jochen eisenbrand as well as VDM collection curator serge mauduit.

the film is available in german language with subtitles following this link here.

project info: 

name: chair times – a history of seating
a film by: heinz bütler
genre: documentary film
length: 90’
language versions: d,e/d and d,e/e
year & country of production: 2018, switzerland
age rating: 6