The Marilyn
Jan 2023
2mm Polypropylene, Pine
40cm x 60cm x 40cm
Individual Project
With its windswept design akin to Marilyn Monroe’s iconic white dress, The Marilyn was imagined to be a playful addition to any interior. The wooden legs were salvaged and bathed in Danish oil before a thin sheet of polypropylene was warmed and melted over this chassis, acting as both the stool’s surface and structure. With its organic, yet unexpected proportions, this stool was designed for those spontaneous, edge of your seat moments in game board settings or during wine fueled conversations. Place The Marilyn stool under a vanity or use as a side stool for extra seating in a living room or den.
On September 15, 1954, Marilyn Monroe stood on a subway grate in New York City wearing a little white dress and fought an upward breeze. This scene from ‘Seven Year Itch’ has become one of the most iconic moments in movie history. Despite the popularity and virality of this scene, Monroe’s then husband DiMaggio was less than pleased with what he felt was an “exhibitionist” scene which contributed to their divorce.
The ideas for this design were a natural progression from ‘Material Follies’. In ‘Material Follies’, I submerged thin sheets of balsa, twisted and dried these sheets using a heat gun. The process for ‘The Marilyn’ was similar: the plastic was melted over the wooden chassis with a heat gun. I tried to move the heat gun around the chassis in circles to melt the plastic evenly, pulling the gun away quickly when the plastic became too thin. Thin plastics and inflatables have the inherent qualities of being sexual, instant, often temporary, and mobile. Historically they have been used to interpret issues of media and reclamation of an urbanism imposed by an outside source.
