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Sunday, 23 December 2007 | Levent OZLER
Uncorking Design: Design Within Reach Announces 5th Annual Champagne Chair Contest
Design Within Reach announces the call for entries for its 5th annual Champagne Chair Contest. The Champagne Chair Contest is a much-anticipated yearly event, challenging participants to create an original miniature chair from nothing more than the wire, cork, cage and foil of no more than two Champagne bottles, glue being the only permitted adhesive. Entries for 2008 must be received by 5pm (PT) on Monday, January 7.
In past years, January would find DWR's San Francisco offices flooded with boxes containing the miniature chair entries. To reduce packaging waste, DWR has changed the submission process for 2008, requiring entrants to submit their creations digitally. Jennifer Morla, Chief Creative Officer of Design Within Reach, will review the submitted images and narrow the field to 50 chairs. The chosen 50 will be sent to San Francisco, photographed professionally, and posted on DWR's website. Three awards will be given, for DWR Staff Selection, the Popular Vote, and the Grand Prize of a $1000 DWR gift card.
This year's Grand Prize winner will be selected by a jury of five creative professionals, including SFMOMA architecture and design curator Henry Urbach and designers Tord Boontje and Chris Deam. These experts are tasked with judging the entries on the criteria of craftsmanship, creativity, character and the innovative use of materials.
Last year's winning chair, entitled "Cantilever Block," was created by Adam Weisgerber from Seattle, Washington, from just two corks. Weisgerber's vision was to emphasize the simplicity and continuity of the chair's angled planes with contrasting edges. After gluing the corks together, his first attempt didn't quite work: "I almost destroyed the entire thing by burning the edges. Luckily, after some sanding and careful application of heat, I maintained the crisp shape. I've always wanted to make something out of cork because it is such a beautiful natural material."
The 50 chosen chairs for 2008 will set out on the DWR Champagne Chair Tour in February. The chairs will visit 21 DWR Studios across the country, starting in Brooklyn, New York, on February 12 and ending up in Tigard, Oregon, on May 17.
Complete submission and contest information is available at http://www.dwr.com/champagne.
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