‘The original comes from Vitra’ is an international travelling exhibition that conveys not only the product but also the feelings and stories that were put into the product. A series of ‘storytelling’ narrative booths, each dedicated to a Vitra original, illustrates the piece and its special characteristics – the history, drawings, sketches, photographs of prototypes and more.
For example, the Panton chair celebrating its 50th anniversary, the Standard chair by Jean Prouve, the Landy Chair celebrating its 80th anniversary, and the iconic Lounge Chair by Charles & Ray Eames. Each booth holds interesting facts about the design story, such as the Tip Ton chair by Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby, who in 2008 entered a competition to furnish the new Royal Society of Arts Academy in Tipton, England, where they discovered a gap in the market for school chairs compatible with 21st-century learning methods.
‘Aïshti by the Sea’ will be the home for this Vitra installation in Lebanon. Designed by the British-Ghanaian architect, David Adjaye, the Aïshti Foundation building is both a cultural art foundation and luxury shopping centre. Opened in 2016, this cutting edge destination merges commerce and culture, under a spectacular zigzag metal frame design exterior.
