‘cyborg’ is a series of three chairs by dutch designer marcel wanders for italian furniture manufacturing company magis.

In 1960 the term cyborg – which refers to an organism that has both artificial and natural systems – was coined by manfred clynes. then in 1965, D.S. halacy’s evolution of the superman, featured an introduction which spoke of a ‘bridge… between mind and matter.’

The friction we feel between the natural and artificial world is actually a misconception, as there is no artificial world. there is only a natural world under the influence of its own nature. We are part of this system of trial and error, survival of the fittest. in a way, everything has been done before… there are no new ideas left… however, there are the occasions in which to create new combinations, new connections between the things we take for granted and tangle them in a way to create unexpected changes, poetic insights… technical twists which breathe a new life into the world.

Wanders’ ‘cyborg’ chairs utilize wicker in an unexpected way. Typically the durable woven fiber is used to construct a piece of furniture in its structural entirety. Here, wanders has combined the traditional material with plastic, developing a different aesthetic with the two familiar materials. Wicker has been woven in new patterns or formations utilized as a structural back support for the seats, while the seat itself is made from a polycarbonate base.

designer: marcel wanders
producer: magis
period: 2011