Splitting Bentwood
Israel-born and Paris-based designer Arik Levy is a leader among designers of his generation. Before exploring bentwood in Bystřice pod Hostýnem, Arik designed dozens of furniture pieces. In 2015 he created the Split collection for TON, in which he integrated the bentwood tradition with his dynamic, structurally refined design.
What does bentwood technology mean to you?
Bending wood is like bending nature or time. The ability to preserve and even enhance the properties of wood through bending, while respecting its structure, is fascinating and also opens the door to a realm of many great ideas. At the end of the process, however, it once again becomes a delicate yet strong product, very pleasant to look at and to the touch, in which the original material merges seamlessly with the form.
Did you have experience with wood bending before designing for TON?
For the most part, I worked with machining wood rather than bending it… so it was a great school for me.
How did you approach this technology in the design of the Split collection? How did history inspire you?
The Split chair collection—as its name already suggests—is meant to show the very best of bentwood technology and the maximum of what can be achieved with it. A split, as the word implies, is not a natural reaction of wood and often ends in cracking. The challenge of the collection lay in using this aspect of wood, shifting it in a different direction, while at the same time creating the necessary strength and structure.
The Split collection has taken bentwood to the next level through its split
What was the most difficult part of developing your design for the Split collection?
The most difficult part was the split itself. Once we understood it and mastered it technically, solutions to everything else followed naturally… The split is a fractal, a fundamental principle in a spatial system of structures.
In your view, what future potential does bentwood have in furniture design?
It gives me great pleasure to see old chairs and other wooden furniture that are still in use and remain very comfortable. I believe that when you get the best out of bentwood technology, it allows you to do many things. There is great room for new ideas… Of course, bending wood alone is not enough. You need to work with the entire process, which includes growing the wood, replanting, and ensuring ecological sustainability. When the right manufacturing process and the right design are chosen, the result will be an excellent product.
You can read the full interview with Arik Levy in the book +− 160 Years.
The Czech–English book ± 160 Years describes, across 259 pages, the
historical and social events that shaped the development of bentwood furniture
from Bystřice pod Hostýnem. This richly illustrated publication was written by
Czech art curator Adam Štěch and published with the support of Ton.