Property News · July 12, 2017

Beneath the veneer: our unbending fascination with plywood


From army planes to pharaohs’ coffins, the V&A’s eye-opening show tells the astonishing story of this age-old yet perennially modern materialThe De Havilland Mosquito was the fastest, highest-flying plane of the second world war, its light, streamlined body making it able to outrun all enemy aircraft. So it might come as a surprise to learn that, beneath its sleek lacquered skin, it was all made of plywood – lighter, cheaper and more aerodynamic than the metal equivalent, unhindered by bracing and rivets. It could be easily made, too, by workers in furniture factories, and easy to repair. Yet metal won out, perceived as the more “modern” material.Plywood: Material of the Modern World, a new exhibition at the V&A, is an eye-opening story of design, technology and – as the Mosquito pictured here shows – prejudice and taste. From plywood packing cases taken to the Antarctic by Ernest Shackleton’s expedition, where they were then broken down and transformed into furniture, to the finest mid-century modern chairs, visiting the show is like walking through a particularly well-stocked bric-a-brac store, complete with plywood surfboards, boats and planes dangling from the ceiling. Continue reading…

Source : theguardian.com
Read more…Beneath the veneer: our unbending fascination with plywood

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