Jonathan Olivares, A Taxonomy of Office Chairs, 2011.

Over the last two hundred years, the office chair has attained cult-like status among the design community and office workers alike. From flexible back supports to mesh webbing, technological enhancements are constantly evolving to meet the changing requirements of the modern worker. With each new development, the office chair confirms its standing not only as an iconic object, but as an important status item.

Filling a significant gap in design history, A Taxonomy of Office Chairs presents the first exhaustive investigation into the office chair's aesthetic and technological evolution. The book features more than 130 of the most innovative chairs from the mid-1800's to the present day, including chairs by Frank Lloyd Wright, Marcel Breuer, Charles and Ray Eames, and Richard Sapper among other notable designers.

On June 14, Olivares will give a talk about his new book. A signing and reception in the garden will follow.

Jonathan Olivares is the founder of Jonathan Olivares Design Research (JODR). JODR is an industrial design office founded in 2006. The office is run on the belief that research and writing on design informs and provokes the design process, and identifies objective goals for it. In addition to providing design services JODR is engaged in sociopolitical and historical research for its clients, which include innovative producers of contemporary furniture and lighting, distinguished museums for design and art, and leading publications on design and architecture.

Olivares is a respected product designer, having designed a number of pieces of furniture for both Danese and Driade. Olivares has taught design workshops at ECAL in Lausanne, Switzerland, at ENSAD in Paris, France and has been a guest designer in the School of the Art Institute of Chicago's Designed Objects program. His products question conventional archetypes and define a culture of function that is specific for today's activity and technology. He recieved a grant from the Graham Foundation in 2010 for his research project, The Outdoor Office. He lives in Boston.

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Jonathan Olivares
http://www.jonathanolivares.com/