The document summarizes the creation of an arch made of 120 wooden chairs at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London as part of the London Design Festival. The chair arch was designed by Martino Gamper based on a traditional style from the 1800s where chair arches were built in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire to celebrate royal visits. Gamper said installing the chair arch was quite difficult due to rainy weather but that he wanted to create a "pure chair arch with no other elements" that could stand on its own through simplicity. The chair arch installation celebrates the history of British chair making and is one of many events happening during the London Design Festival through September 27th.

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Missing anything? Rainbow
connection:
Lost Heathrow Martino Gamper
made the arch at
bags turned to art the VA Museum
out of 120 chairs.
daisy dumas He says it would
stand alone but it
IF your bag has ever been lost by is screwed
an airline and you presumed your together for
holiday mementoes would never added strength
see the light of day, think again.
Designers Orsola de Castro and
John Teall have created a collection
of garments and interior pieces
from Heathrow’s lost luggage.
The designers bought 12
unclaimed bags from Greasby’s
Auction House in Tooting and used
the contents to create a collection
that includes wedding dresses
alexlenTaTi
made of underwear. The items will
be on display at Chiswick’s Eco Age
store from 19 to 27 September.
Chair archway
is revived at
the seat of
British design
Louise Jury Everyone else thought I was mad.” Gam-
ChiefartsCorrespondent per said he had first seen a picture of such
an arch a decade ago and did research
A TRADITION of giant arches made of before forgetting all about it. “But when
chairs that was popular in Victorian Henrietta mentioned it, I said, ‘Yes, of
times is being revived to celebrate the course,’ and I’m very happy with the
best of British design. result. It’s the simplicity I like,” he said.
An arch built from 120 wooden Ercol “I really wanted to create a pure chair
chairs was unveiled today in the garden arch with no other elements. It would
of the Victoria and Albert Museum by stand up by itself but it’s screwed
designer Martino Gamper as part of the together to make it stronger. To put it
London Design Festival. up has been quite a struggle. It was
The 10-foot high installation was raining cats and dogs on Tuesday.” The
thought up by Henrietta Thompson,
design and architecture editor of Wall-
paper magazine, when researching the ‘I really wanted to create a
history of British chair-making. pure chair arch with no
Buckinghamshire was the centre of other elements. To put it up
the European chair-making industry
in the late 19th century and Ercol is has been quite a struggle’
one of the old High Wycombe chair-
making firms. Designer Martino Gamper
Miss Thompson discovered that resi-
dents used their local product to create Wallpaper Chair Arch installation is
celebratory arches to mark visits by the just one strange addition to the London
Prince and Princess of Wales and landscape during the festival, which
Queen Victoria. Wallpaper magazine launches on Saturday.
decided to commission a modern ver- There are 200 events including
sion and turned to Gamper, whose design talks, tours of the VA and a
previous work involved making 100 giant chess game in Trafalgar Square.
chairs in 100 days from discarded ■ The festival runs until 27 September
chairs he found on London streets. at venues including the Design
“I thought of Martino instantly because Museum, the Southbank Centre and
in my mind he was a chair man,” Miss the Royal College of Art.
Thompson said. “And when I spoke to
him about it, I was surprised that he For more log on to:
londondesignfestival.com
instantly knew what a chair arch was.
Arc of triumph:
chair arches
were built in the
1800s in High
Wycombe to
celebrate Queen
Victoria’s visit
H