Nendo shows 50 Manga Chairs within light installation at New York's Friedman Benda
Nendo has taken its collection of chairs based on Japanese manga comics to New York, where they are on show as part of a light installation at Friedman Benda gallery (+ movie).
The Japanese studio's 50 Manga Chairs are each based on the abstract lines and grids used in graphics for the comic books.
They were first presented by Friedman Benda in Milan, where they were installed in the courtyard of a historic cloister during the city's design week in April.
Based in the heart of the Chelsea art district, the gallery is now showcasing the collection in a dedicated space where projections play across the walls.
"This installation of 50 Manga Chairs is the result of adapting the strong symbolic nature of manga comics to furniture design," said Nendo. "The original animation for this exhibition is also projected on the wall of the gallery."
The animation features moving lines and dots that change from white to black, and flow into different configurations in a loop.
These graphics are projected across the gallery, reflecting off the polished stainless steel furniture to create further effects.
Nendo, founded by designer Oki Sato, has a variety of chairs in its huge portfolio of projects – Sato once told Dezeen that he works on 400 projects at a time.
They include the Cabbage Chair made from layers of pleated fabric and a wooden seat wrapped in lengths of fishing line.
Friedman Benda also works with designers like Paul Cocksedge, Byung Hoon Choi and the Campana brothers. Its recent exhibitions have included a showcase of early work by Memphis group founder Ettore Sottsass.
Photography is by Chelsey Cohen. Video is by Yusuke Fujikawa.