pierre castignola reassembles the ubiquitous plastic chair using pieces of patented remakes

in copytopia, design academy eindhoven graduate pierre castignola questions the benefits of the patent as part of the intellectual property system using one of the most recognizable objects of our time, the plastic garden armchair. though nobody knows who originally created the ubiquitous design, numerous remakes of it are currently patented, sections of which castignola has reassembled into one object to explore the ambiguous relationship between patent law and the freedom to create. 

pointing at the fact that the plethora of copyrights –mostly owned by big companies – monopolizes creation and controls innovation, castignola believes that imitation is part of human nature, and that designers should be able to work on and improve existing designs more freely. aimed at reclaiming freedom when copyright law starts to corrupt the creative process, copytopia combines four different patented copies of the plastic garden chair into two final objects. here, the designer is not seen as a shaper but as a selector, taking over someone else’s work and making it his own. 

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: sofia lekka angelopoulou | designboom