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Bent Ply: The Art of Plywood Furniture
Plywood is arguably the most modern design artifact: it is a material born of natural wood and formed by vigorous industrial processes that can assume the most organic of shapes through bending, laminating, and molding. plywood truly fulfills that most modern of dreams: bridging the gap between technology and nature.
Bent Ply is the first book devoted to plywood in modern design. The book consists of two parts: the first, an illustrated history of plywood (tracing its origins to ancient Egypt, circa 2900 BC); the second, an annotated journal of the making of a piece of bent plywood furniture, from the forest to the showroom.
Bent Ply contains numerous illustrations of the classics of bent ply design, including furniture from Alvar Aalto, Michael Thonet, and Charles and Ray Eames, and examples of its appropriation by the military: John F. Kennedys PT109 boat and the DeHavilland Mosquito were both fabricated from plywood.
Anyone interested in furniture design, woodworking, or materials will be fascinated by Bent Ply.
Bent Ply is the first book devoted to plywood in modern design. The book consists of two parts: the first, an illustrated history of plywood (tracing its origins to ancient Egypt, circa 2900 BC); the second, an annotated journal of the making of a piece of bent plywood furniture, from the forest to the showroom.
Bent Ply contains numerous illustrations of the classics of bent ply design, including furniture from Alvar Aalto, Michael Thonet, and Charles and Ray Eames, and examples of its appropriation by the military: John F. Kennedys PT109 boat and the DeHavilland Mosquito were both fabricated from plywood.
Anyone interested in furniture design, woodworking, or materials will be fascinated by Bent Ply.
160 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2003
2 people are currently reading
37 people want to read
About the author
Dung Ngo
11 books1 followerDung Ngo is an independent editor and curator. He is the former editor of exhibitions and publications at the Rice University's School of Architecture, where he mounted exhibitions and published books on Rem Koolhaas, Herzog & de Meuron, and Sol LeWitt, among others.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 8, 2008
If the thought of bent plywood furniture reminds you of what it is like to be in love, you may very well fall for Ngo's and Pfieffer's Bent Ply. Split into two sections, the first a history (starting in Egypt, working its way up to Eames), the second, an annotated journal of how-to (from forest to showroom) are bound by an actual plywood cover. A very lovely book. Amy Antonio
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July 2, 2022
This is the story of our ability to take a unashamedly humble material and transform it into something transcendent.
I enjoyed this rabbit hole! I was skeptical but, as the owner of some plywood furniture, I felt obligated to give ‘er a read. Who knew that plywood, as a product, has been around since the American civil war? And that with some glue, heat, forms and presses you could make beautiful art?
Great photos help the reader grasp the process and its results.
I enjoyed this rabbit hole! I was skeptical but, as the owner of some plywood furniture, I felt obligated to give ‘er a read. Who knew that plywood, as a product, has been around since the American civil war? And that with some glue, heat, forms and presses you could make beautiful art?
Great photos help the reader grasp the process and its results.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews