714
- Description
- Designer Bio
This piece is the outcome of
Theodore Waddell’s exploration, in 1956, of how to design tables with extremely
light frames, and takes its inspiration from the architecture of tensile
structures. Waddell studied the systems patented by Buckminster Fuller and, in
1972, created a type of configuration for Cassina where, for the first time
ever, it proved possible to create furniture using suspension cables. The frame
of these tables consists of six legs, of which three do not touch the floor,
but provide support for the glass table-top. Meanwhile, the others touch the
floor, but not the table-top. The result, extremely elegant and striking sculptural,
is evocative of molecular structure.
| About Designer | |
|---|---|
Theodore Waddell |
After graduating in Chemistry (1950) and his
Masters’ in Business Administration in 1951 from Cornell, Theodore Waddell did
his Master’s in Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania (1964) and took
a first in Architecture at Florence (1968). He practised as architect and
industrial designer in Italy for fifteen years, making a name for himself also
as photographer. He returned to the USA and set up practice in Santa Fe, New
Mexico, where he now lives and works. Five of his lamps are to be seen in the
Musée des Arts Decoratifs in Paris, and two are in the permanent collection at
the MoMA in New York; this museum dedicated a special exhibition to him in
1969. The 713/714 Tensegrity tables designed for Cassina have been in the
catalogue since 1972. |
