The Chair Factory

The chair manufacturing industry originated in a borderland, Friuli Venezia Giulia, in the 19th century. Small family-run businesses created a working community that, during the second half of the 20th century, became a typical industrial district. Meanwhile, chair production was undergoing a paradigm shift in Italy and around the world. At the dawn of the third millennium, new materials, sizes and shapes became an expression of the contemporary world, as highlighted by the artefacts of companies featured in this book, a process marked by research, innovation and design - Billiani Srl, Calligaris SpA, Costantini Pietro Srl, Fornasarig-Tiemmeset Srl, Livoni Edoardo & Figlio Srl, Piaval Srl, Tonon & C. SpA.

Speakers include: Marco Sammicheli, Director of the Museo del Design italiano, Triennale Milano; the author Angela Zolli, economic anthropologist; Luisa Bocchietto, architect and designer; Cristina Celestino, designer. With contributions from the entrepreneurs.