The Victorian-era conversation chair is back, taking on completely new meaning in its eclectic interpretation by Giampiero Bodino and De Castelli, who are writing a new chapter in their collaboration by presenting the Walt Chair at Homo Faber 2024.
The event celebrates the best there is in international contemporary craftsmanship, curated by the Michelangelo Foundation. This year’s theme is The Journey of Life, with Luca Guadagnino and Nicolò Rosmarini as co-artistic directors. Returning to the island of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice, the event will be hosted by the Giorgio Cini Foundation from 1 to 30 September.
Displayed within the Love/Union room, the Walt Chair is a unique piece of designer furniture, one in which the artisanal excellence of De Castelli and the refined style of Giampiero Bodino come together, deeply transforming the meaning of the chair from a functional object into an object of affection, sending an undeniable message of inclusivity, closeness and connection.
With many allusive names (vis à vis, courting bench, tête à tête, chaperone chair, gossip chair, le confident, etc.) this neoclassical piece of furniture was once widespread in England and France. It alludes to polite society, designed specifically to allow for conversation while maintaining a respectable distance: the back/armrest creates an ‘S’, which divides the two mirrored seats and makes conversation possible while avoiding physical contact.
Bodino’s chair for De Castelli is a sophisticated reference to this object, though it completely overturns the original logic of its use. Instead of separating, it unites: the chair is composed of two single identical elements defined by soft, symmetrical curves, designed to nestle perfectly and create a sinuous and welcoming composition which invites people to engage in an empathetic relationship.
The chair interprets the values of love and union with its organic lines, embellished by a surprising graphic mark: when the two parts are aligned, it’s possible to read a poem on the seat, erosion-engraved on its metal surface. The author of the poem is Walt Whitman, the American poet born in 1919 and considered the first to write in free verse, famous for having written about love without ever saying the word.
Seen from above, the curvilinear perimeter echoes the infinity symbol, the union of past, present and future and a reference to the journey that is life, the theme chosen for this year’s Homo Faber.
Entirely in brass, the Walt Chair combines polished thicker elements with a brushed finish on the seat and backrest, creating a suggestive interplay of variations and reflections. With intensely sculptural impact, the compositional and textural result embodies the original expressive language of Bodino and represents the technical know-how of De Castelli, whose expertise in innovation and research gives it the ability to interpret visionary concepts, transforming them into works of art.
Homo Faber 2024
1-30 September
Giorgio Cini Foundation – Island of San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice