Kanu

Kanu on the other hand, a basin-shaped seat in curved plywood, is concerned with timber and its flexibility. The simplicity of its semi-circular outline and the fineness of the timber sheets used for the frame barely hint at the innovation involved. Revolutionary and intricate in its manufacture, Kanu requires the use of not just one mould but two: one for the main frame and the other for the seat, as the two curve and shape the plywood differently, reflecting the special slants needed in each case to achieve maximum comfort. Two wooden frames, one a half-cylinder into which the seat frame appears to be inserted, offer levels of comfort and flexibility differentiated according to their function: what is required of a chair-back is not the same as what is required of a seat. Very comfortable and snug, Kanu exploits the resistance and tension of plywood to its limit in order to achieve the level of comfort the company and the designer are striving for. Seemingly two-dimensional, but in reality relying partly on an interplay of volumes such as the cone section that supports the bottom part of the lower framework, the chair is made up of two seamlessly joined layers of plywood, using the same "scraping up" and gluing technique as in the Teepee chair, which gives it lightness and adds strength to the idea of ethereal perfection in the semicircular profile. Finally, this inspirational German designer has created the Eto tables in two sizes and two different heights, again in curved plywood, taking his cue from the semicircular design of the chair and the extraordinary thinness of the frame. This collaboration, which is just beginning, has begun a journey towards new directions in design for Grcic and in manufacturing for Cassina, achieving two products which release the weight of their complex construction in all their glorious lightness.