In 1933 Alvar Aalto designed Stool 60, a stackable, 3-legged stool that went on to become an icon for quintessential functionalist design. To celebrate the upcoming 80th anniversary of the stool, Nao Tamura has created a stool of tree rings that have recorded an 80-year history.
Contained within a single tree is its unabridged chronicle
Year by year, never skipping a beat, it records its history slowly.
Some lines speak of seasons of plenty, while others cry of famine.
The size of the rings are never the same.
Each engraving bears witness to battles waged in the name of survival.
Check out our recent studio visit with Nao Tamura here.
“Rings” will be part of an upcoming event hosted by Design Trust For Public Space.
Source: press release
October 23, 2012 at 11:44 pm
Except… they’re fake. Silkscreened tree rings. 80 years is 80 years, except… when it isn’t. The designer found the point, and missed it a second after.
October 24, 2012 at 9:38 am
@RobertS – ah, you’re right. I see the silk-screening process in the pictures at the bottom. But I still think it’s a very poetic concept.