The Eames/Leg Splint:
The Eames/Leg Splint:
The Eames were very deign oriented people. They were outgoing to on the cutting edge of design. They had a studio on 901 Washington Boulevard, which really emulated mindset towards architecture and design. Often in their age of design, it was very rigid and structured, but they were on the fore the front of innovation and design through their space design in the studio. It was more modern and outgoing to encourage fluid movement and space changes.
The artifact that I will be discussing is the leg splints that were made in 1943 for World War II. These were made from shaped plywood. Charles and Ray Eames decided to invent and design these wooden splints for wounded soldiers in WWII. They heard that the current metal design was not sufficient. The metal ones were not great designs because it enhanced every vibration or contact that it had. The Eames started prototyping the device out warped and shaped plywood. Once they got the design perfect, they went into full manufacturing. They made over 150,000 of these splits to help the wounded soldiers in WWII. Chares Eames stated” “Design is a plan for arranging elements in such a way as best to accomplish a particular purpose.” This is a perfect example of how he was able to look at a problem in a different way and use his expertise to solve the issue.
This was an extremely important part because they were able to help thousands of people but just as important they were really honed in on the ability to create from plywood. Their dream was to create a chair that was made from all one piece through bending plywood. They had previously failed to do this multiple time because they kept splitting the wood. It was found very difficult to work with the wood because it is a rigid but flexible material. Previously they had been trying to build the design on paper first and then apply those shapes and curves to the chair, but this was not the correct proses. After learning so much from the wooden splints, they discovered that they needed the first work with the material by hand and let the material determine its final shape and ability. Without the years of practice with the wooden splint, The Eames would have never been able to create their dream chair. This was a key stepping stone in the process. Not only did it solve the issue that was in front of them, but it allowed them to move onto another project implementing those same design constraints and factors.
Today their works still live on through chair designs and very expensive original. I was looking online and the splints go for over $800 and the wooden chairs still being manufactured and produced in different styles. These chairs are very expensive and extremely nice quality chairs going for anywhere from $1,000-$5,000. It is inspiring to see their legacy live in because often designs like this are changed and altered through years, but to have gotten through so many years
