ProductsChairsLounge chairsSofasOffice chairsChaises longuesStools & benchesSculpturesConference chairsAirport seatingStorage spaceMicro architectureDining tablesCafé tablesCoffee & side tablesDesksOffice furniture systemsConference systemsLightingClocksDecorative objectsCoat racks & wall shelvesTrays & vesselsAlexander Girard Antonio CitterioCharles & Ray Eames Barber OsgerbyGeorge NelsonHella JongeriusIsamu NoguchiJasper MorrisonJean ProuvéKonstantin GrcicRonan & Erwan BouroullecVerner PantonPanter&TourronCare & repairCare productsManufacturer warrantyNewBestsellerGift finderOffice chair finderLounge chair finderColour & materialAnagram SofaVitra CushionsInspirationsLiving roomDining roomHome OfficeChildren's roomOutdoorHome StoriesAugmented RealityColours & materialsWorkspaceFocusMeetingWorkshopClub OfficeCitizen OfficeStudio OfficeDynamic SpacesHospitalityAirportsEducationCo-WorkingHealthcareOur ClientsA case for classicsOffice chairsDancing OfficeHome StoriesAugmented Reality - bring Vitra products into your homeA case for classicsColour & materialAn open house A leading space for a leading art collegeHigh comfort of low energyAn office landscape - without walls or partitionsServicesCare & repairCare productsManufacturer warrantyFAQ and contactInstructionsInstructions for earlier productsConsulting & Planning StudioConsulting & planning in the VitraHausOutdoor care instructionsRepair, maintenance, overhaul at the Vitra Circle Store Campus ProfessionalsCAD dataProduct factsheetsCertificatesBrochuresSustainability reportInstructionsEcology informationpConPlanning examplesColour & Material LibraryCertificates and standardsTo the dealer loginOur ClientsAnagram SofaMikadoTyde 2 on castorsACXDancing OfficeOffice chairsMagazineStoriesConversationsExhibitionsDesignerProject VitraJust Do It!EVER GREENWhy the Eames La Fonda Chair was designedWhen a Sofa is more than just a Sofa: Anagram100% virgin wool – 100% recyclableAn archive is like a time capsuleVitraHaus Loft - A conversation with Sabine MarcelisWalking the talkA 1000 m2 piece of furnitureFrom a toy to an objectA studio visit with Tsuyoshi TaneThe Eames Collection at the Vitra Design MuseumAbout the partnership between Eames and VitraVitra CampusExhibitionsGuided tours & workshopsFood and drinkShoppingActivities for familiesArchitectureYour eventPlan your visitVitra Campus appCampus EventsNewsVitraHausVitra Design MuseumVitra SchaudepotVitra Circle Store CampusOudolf GartenAbout VitraSustainabilityJobs & CareersDesign processThe Original is by VitraHistory - Project Vitra
What kind of nothing?
A Vitra Anecdote
In the mid-1950s the Aluminum Company of America, ALCOA, organised an extensive Forecast Program to promote the use of aluminium in design and architecture. For this venture ALCOA focused on the designer as ‘the man to stimulate the consuming public with inventive projects for the home’, and invited a range of designers including Isamu Noguchi, Alexander Girard, Charles and Ray Eames and many others to participate. What Alcoa wanted from the designers was not a product to manufacture, but a concept to promote.
For the Forecast Program, Noguchi designed the sculptural Prismatic Table, and Girard created a room divider with variable sizes, colours and storage options.
The ‘Solar Do-Nothing Machine‘ was designed by Charles and Ray Eames in 1957 as a kinetic aluminium sculpture – a toy powered by sunlight alone. A solar collector tracked the sun across the horizon, motors responded, wheels turned, pistons rose and receded, colours flashed and blended. The Eames described their invention as ‘a device that will do nothing’ – and spoke about natural resources and the means for teaching the younger generation. The Eames ‘Solar Do-Nothing Machine‘ is not supposed to do, as the Eames stated, it is supposed to be. Its whole function is in its being. Whoever asks what the function of a sunset is?
The ‘Solar Do-Nothing Machine‘ was designed by Charles and Ray Eames in 1957 as a kinetic aluminium sculpture – a toy powered by sunlight alone. A solar collector tracked the sun across the horizon, motors responded, wheels turned, pistons rose and receded, colours flashed and blended. The Eames described their invention as ‘a device that will do nothing’ – and spoke about natural resources and the means for teaching the younger generation. The Eames ‘Solar Do-Nothing Machine‘ is not supposed to do, as the Eames stated, it is supposed to be. Its whole function is in its being. Whoever asks what the function of a sunset is?
About its creation Charles Eames said: ‘And this, I would say, would be a good test for any design. Does it make somebody aware of something that it is important for him to be aware of? And does it do it in a manner that is delightful (which is the opposite of pedantic)? In fact, this could be a good starting point for somebody wanting to make a design: to think first about what he wanted to make people aware of, and then to move toward the most effective and pleasing way of bringing this about.’
Eames Demetrios, grandson of the Eameses, later discovered unedited footage of the ‘Solar Do-Nothing Machine‘ and made a film.
The film is also part of “The World of Charles and Ray Eames” at Barbican Center, London. Read more about this exhibition in our interview with curator Catherine Ince.
The film is also part of “The World of Charles and Ray Eames” at Barbican Center, London. Read more about this exhibition in our interview with curator Catherine Ince.
Publication Date: 11.5.2015
Author: Stine Liv Buur
Images: The ‘Solar Do-Nothing Machine‘ designed by Charles and Ray Eames in 1957. © Eames Office LLC