Markus Friedrich Staab Chair

Vergangenheit schmiedet Zukunft / galvanisiert is a one-of-a-kind chair by German artist and designer Markus Friedrich Staab. The title translates as “the past forges the future,” defining the work as a transformation of memory, material and function.

Created in Germany in 2021 for Atelier Einzelteile, the chair is made from wood and metal. Its construction brings together the language of domestic furniture and the autonomy of a sculptural object. The piece remains a chair, but its surface, structure and altered presence move it into the field of functional art.

MARKUS FRIEDRICH STAAB AND FUNCTIONAL ART

Markus Friedrich Staab works with existing furniture, historical references and found forms. His practice gives old pieces a new visual and cultural identity, treating furniture as evidence of time, use, ownership and taste.

In this chair, the object is not restored to its former state. It is reworked, galvanized and reinterpreted. The intervention preserves the memory of the original furniture while giving it a new contemporary form.

WOOD, METAL AND GALVANIZED SURFACE

The combination of wood and metal creates a dialogue between warmth and industrial resistance. Galvanization introduces a protective metallic layer and changes the visual reading of the surface. The process reinforces the object’s material tension: handmade, domestic, architectural and altered.

The chair stands between utility and sculpture. It can be read as seating, but also as a singular design object shaped by reuse, craftsmanship and artistic authorship.

PAST, FUTURE AND RE-USED MATERIAL

Vergangenheit schmiedet Zukunft belongs to a design language based on transformation rather than replacement. Staab’s work addresses the possibility of giving existing furniture a second life, where age, imperfection and previous use become part of the value of the object.

The piece reflects a contemporary approach to collectible design: one-of-a-kind, materially expressive, rooted in reuse and distant from mass production.

PRODUCT DETAILS

product: Chair
title: Vergangenheit schmiedet Zukunft / galvanisiert
artist, designer: Markus Friedrich Staab
atelier: Atelier Einzelteile
year: 2021
place of origin: Germany
materials: wood and metal
dimensions: length 44 cm, width 40 cm, height 83 cm
category: collectible design, functional art, sculptural chair