This year, re:publica is about ACT!ON – and colour! Next to the drab chairs seen at most conferences, you’ll also be able to park yourselves down in special #rp12 chairs: the Monobloc. For some, they are the most successful piece of furniture of the 20th Century which have even made it into the Munich museum. For other, they are simply practical – stackable, robust and comfortable. Either way, we’ve got them!
The creation of the Monobloc goes back to the 1960s, when plastic was on its triumphal march across the globe. The idea then was to make a chair which was comfortable, usable in every environment and made from a single cast. Verner Panton’s 1967 S-Chair became a design classic and predecessor to the Monobloc. Since then, the Monobloc, on which we’ve all surely had the pleasure of sitting, has become a sort of traditional chair. As a No-Logo-Chair, no one owns a copyright on it and it calls the whole world its home – from Germany to India, Canada to South Africa.
And it is from there, South Africa, that we have re:imported the Monoblocs you’ll find at re:publica 2012. Why re:imported? The actual machinery which moulds the #rp12 chairs originated in Europe. Where in Europe the machinery came from before being shipped to South Africa remains the stuff of legends – some say Italy, others say from East Germany’s GDR.
Some have found a personal favourite in the Monobloc and collect photos and 3D images of it. You can find it remixed in any possible shape and colour and it has even served as inspiration for artists – the Monobloc has been transformed into cutlery and been stacked into chair installations.
At re:publica, it will help create a cool medley of colours: grab the Monobloc in your favourite colour and take it to your meetings and discussions and arrange them as you please. During the three days at the STATION we want to see a vivid mix of colours and arrangements – and if you’ve found that one special chair just for you, feel free to take it the merchandise stand where you can buy it and keep it for ever and ever! Free shipping of your very own Monobloc to your home is made possible by our partner Deutsche Post DHL.