Strategy / Exhibitions / Programmes / Publications / Water / Writing
 

Inspired by the forests of Day’s childhood, the installation suggested a link between play and innovation
 

The installation mixed Day’s handwork in wood and industrial production
 

Day used the steam from a kettle to bend plywood for early experiemental chair designs
 

The Royal Festival Hall chair beside a catapult illustrated Day's complex relationship with wood
 

Royal Festival Hall dining chair by Robin Day
 

Bird table made by Robin Day
 

Robin Day Works in Wood, V&A Museum, 2015

We were invited by the Robin and Lucienne Day Foundation to curate an exhibition celebrating Robin Day’s centenary. Seeking to move beyond the familiar trope of Day as designer of the polyprop chair and give a fresh perspective on his legacy, we focussed on Day’s little explored but deep-rooted feeling for wood. The exhibition juxtaposed his finely tuned industrial designs with handmade objects made for his personal use that are characterised by a rudimentary directness, ingenuity and playfulness and had not been exhibited before. Architectural practice Assemble juxtaposed these elements in an installation inspired by the forest where Day grew up. The exhibition included Day’s drawings and writings to give a deeper understanding of his poetic attachment to nature. 

Photography Paola Pieroni