Material Identity

Material Identity is a chair inspired by the styling principle of Charles Lock Eastlake. His book Hints on Household Taste, was a best seller in England and America in the years following its publishing in 1868. Ironically, Eastlake's treatise expounds on commentary equally relevant today. He said that public taste is corrupt - fashion rules, and few are shocked by sham and pretension. Cheap and easy method of workmanship in an endeavor to produce a show of finish with the least possible labor, as well as an unhealthy spirit of competition in regard to price, has continued to cause the value of our ordinary mechanic's work to deteriorate. The parallels today 100 years later are resounding.

Chair and seat constructed from pre-printed steel from recycled tin containers; aluminum, sterling silver and 10k gold rivets; stainless steel screws. Scroll below for more images and Artist Statement.

Dimensions: 38.25"H x 17.25" W x 14" D

Available for purchase or exhibition.

Corner of a chair made from tin cans in the original fabrication by the artist Harriete Estel Bermanbastylginr

Close-up of Material Identity Chair depicting branding of recycled tin.

Look closely to see my hallmark, Bermaid, stamped into the back of the chair. Bermaid is a play on words. First, my last name - Berman - is not a very good name for an avowed feminist— it having “man” embedded in its ending. I replace “man” with “maid” to indicate to viewers that the artist is a woman and to suggest that the work is "made" by hand.

RELATED ARTWORK:
Identity Complex vanity seat 2001 (above)
Identity Complex Mirror