Designed for the 1927 Weissenhof Siedlung, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s “MR” chair is one of the most recognizable sillouettes to come out of the Deutsche Werkbund, appearing in Werner Blaser’s portrait of Mies and David Hockney’s portrait of Sir David Webster.

Originally finished in cane, these chairs were found worse for wear, barely supporting the weight of a user. Hidden tubular junctions were repaired, and the contact surfaces were replaced with rubber bungees, continuing the tradition of utlitarian and mass produced materials. Repetition of the bungees reinforce the diagrammatic quality of the chair’s sillouette and also allows the user to adjust the tension of the sitting surface for either a more rigid or relaxed position. 

2020