The Design of Landen

Essay on Konstantin Grcic’s Landen
Vitra Edition Catalogue
2007

Furniture, in so far as it carries meaning, is always about something. Throughout history, furniture’s subjects have included ancient gods, Jesus, rationality, ergonomics and fictional narratives. Konstantin Grcic’s subject matter is formed by the process of making the furniture itself, and not by external, predetermined or abstract values (that is, Jesus, rationality…). His process occurs in the specific context created by the personality of a client, the demands of a brief, a production technology, an intended user, a model-making method, or even the character of one of his four assistants who might work on a given project. Grcic is an unobstructed thinker; the only assumption that he makes is that furniture should be useful in some way. Moreover, he distinguishes between useful and functional: where function serves a predefined utilitarian need, useful only has to serve a purpose. By making inventively useful things, Grcic critiques the functions and forms of established typologies. He is also formally unrestricted. Working in specific contexts his logic guides the shape of his designs and since the contexts in which he works are diverse, so too are his forms. Grcic’s designs are liberated both functionally and formally. Although the purposes and forms of his designs are radically original, they almost always make historical references to older typologies and thereby carry familiar qualities. Grcic’s process, or subject matter, invokes a series of oppositions; craft model-making and industrial production, experimental yet practical uses, and forms that are at once new and historical.

This unconventional approach to design results in objects that are somewhat alien and intriguing. Grcic’s piece of outdoor furniture called ‘Landen’ fits this description. Constructed with steel sheets, steel grids, steel walk boards, rubber padding and painted black, ‘Landen’ is wider than a Hummer, virtually indestructible and so heavy that it can only be moved by a crane. Its shape recalls the Apollo Lunar Lander: in a park it would be as curious as the black monolith that lands in prehistoric times in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. People will surely ask, “What is it?” Such a bizarre object beckons investigation; however, the useful encounters that it prompts come to clarify any questions regarding its purpose. As one approaches and climbs into ‘Landen’, its legs reveal themselves as steps and the rectangular shields that protrude communicate their purpose as backrests. This activity is fun, but the user must remain alert and take caution not to fall. In the same way that people adapt curbs, ledges and steps when they sit and lean on them, they will come to use ‘Landen’ as a flexible outdoor prop. In Harmony Korine’s Gummo, two teenage boys make use of a concrete drainage channel as they recline on it, sniffing glue and watching the sky. Uninhibited by formalities, these characters exercise the same inquisitive attitude that Grcic promotes through ‘Landen’. The large circle cut out of ‘Landen’s’ upper platform defines a central bench area where up to eight people can sit. The shield/backrests enclose users in a social hub and shelter them from the urban environment for which ‘Landen’ was designed. Defining a new kind of outdoor furniture, this piece ignores established types of seating, and instead takes its departure from outdoor scenarios like campfires, construction sites and jungle gyms. ‘Landen’ engages the public by demanding re-appropriation, thought and physical activity. It also creates a dialogue between users by physically orienting them towards each other. These are results that normal park benches cannot achieve. ‘Landen’ is a sign of progress and like many of Grcic’s designs it expands the boundaries of furniture.