This is the so-called Monobloc, probably the best-selling chair in history.

這就是所謂的 Monobloc 椅，可能是史上最暢銷的椅子。

And still it's getting a lot of hate so much that in Basel, Switzerland, the chair even became a political issue.

但它仍然受到了許多人的憎恨，以至於在瑞士巴塞爾，這張椅子甚至成為了一個政治問題。

For years, it was forbidden by law to place the chair in outdoor areas of restaurants as people complained that they destroyed the cityscape.

多年來，法律禁止將這種椅子放置在餐廳的戶外區域，因為人們抱怨它們破壞了城市景觀。

But how did we even get the Monobloc?

但是，Monobloc 椅是怎麼出現的？

And is it an example of good or bad design?

它是好設計還是壞設計的典範？

You can find these chairs pretty much everywhere.

幾乎在各個地方都可以找到這些椅子。

Outside of cafes in Denmark, inside an office in Tanzania or at the western wall in Jerusalem.

丹麥的咖啡館外、坦尚尼亞的辦公室內或耶路撒冷的西牆。

These chairs make their way into our lives.

這些椅子走進了我們的生活。

Now, for anyone interested in design, chair design is somewhat fascinating because one might think that a chair would be an object that doesn't need to change fundamentally over time.

對於任何對設計感興趣的人來說，椅子設計有些令人著迷，因為人們可能會認為椅子是一種不需要隨著時間的推移而發生根本改變的物體。

But chairs do change.

但椅子會改變。

Chair design can adapt shape and material to a specific function.

椅子設計可以根據特定功能調整形狀和材質。

It can break conventions by challenging our idea of what a chair should look like.

它可以透過挑戰我們對椅子應該是什麼樣子的想法來打破慣例。

Just like in designing other objects, designing a chair requires finding ways to combine functionality and visual appeal.

就像設計其他物品一樣，設計一張椅子需要找到將功能性和視覺吸引力結合的方法。

But chair design can also reflect a certain zeitgeist.

但椅子的設計也可以反映某種時代精神。

Like Marcel Breuer's Wassily chair made out of tubular steel and inspired by bicycle production, which was laying the groundwork for much of modern design.

就像 Marcel Breuer 的 Wassily 椅子一樣，它由鋼管製成，靈感來自自行車生產，為許多現代設計奠定了基礎。

Or with pop art, introducing strong color palettes in the sixties and seventies and advancements in space exploration,

或者透過普普藝術，在六、七十年代引入強烈的調色板以及太空探索的進步，

inspiring futuristic furniture and private homes like a bunch of circle and egg-shaped designer chairs.

鼓舞人心的未來主義傢俱和私人住宅，例如一堆圓形和蛋形的設計師椅子。

But the Monobloc is very different. It is used so widely that it's sort of meaningless.

但 Monobloc 椅卻非常不同。 它的使用如此廣泛，以至於毫無意義。

Take a look at this photo. Where was it taken, and when?

看看這張照片。 它是在哪裡、何時拍攝的？

It's almost impossible to tell.

很難看得出來。

This is an observation made by American media scholar and blogger Ethan Zuckerman, who has described the Monobloc is a context-free object.

這是美國媒體學者兼部落客 Ethan Zuckerman 的觀察，他將 Monobloc 椅描述為一個上下文無關的物件。

We tend to associate most objects with a certain time and place.

我們傾向於將大多數物體與特定的時間和地點聯繫起來。

If someone shows us a random photo, chances are that the objects in it will give us a hint as to when or where the photo was taken.

如果有人向我們展示一張隨機照片，其中的物體很可能會提示我們照片的拍攝時間或地點。

But the Monobloc chair hardly allows such conclusions to be made.

但 Monobloc 椅幾乎不允許這樣的結論。

The chairs can be found in all parts of the world.

這些椅子遍布世界各地。

And it is an object so ubiquitous, that if you saw one laying around on a beach, you couldn't be sure whether someone brought it there or if it's a flotsam from a different part of the planet,

它是一種無所不在的物體，如果你看到這個椅子在海灘上，你無法確定是有人把它帶到那裡，還是它來自地球不同地方的廢棄物，

The Monobloc might be a prime example of globalization but it can also be a reminder (of) how locally different other objects around us still are.

Monobloc 椅可能是全球化的典型例子，但它也可以提醒我們，我們周圍的其他物體仍然存在局部差異。

There are critical views on this chair, and some rightly note that the Monobloc does not represent sustainable design.

有些人對這把椅子有批評意見，有些人正確地指出，整體設計並不代表永續設計。

Some see the chair as a prime example of mass consumption of uniform goods that disregard any sense of individuality.

有些人認為椅子是大眾消費統一商品而無視任何個性的典型例子。

Monoblocs can be used as an argument against globalization as they represent a decline in local culture.

整體建築可以作為反對全球化的論據，因為它們代表了當地文化的衰落。

But we can also turn this argument around.

但我們也可以扭轉這個論點。

Their success does not come from nowhere.

這些椅子的成功並非憑空而來。

It's due to the fact that they are affordable and affordability matters since it allows social equality and economical advancement.

這是因為它們是負擔得起的，而且負擔能力很重要，因為它可以實現社會平等和經濟進步。

The Monobloc is an object that is deeply democratic.

Monobloc 椅是一個非常民主的物體。

You might be thinking we're creating a lot of fuss about a chair. But that's kind of the point.

你可能會認為我們正在為一把椅子大驚小怪。 但這就是重點。

Focusing on this object can allow us to think about more abstract questions.

關注這個物體可以讓我們思考更抽象的問題。

And these conflicting views on the chair are part of the reason why many artists and designers have created artworks using Monoblocs.

這些對椅子的相互衝突的觀點是許多藝術家和設計師使用整體結構創作藝術品的部分原因。

But where do these chairs originate from?

但這些椅子是從哪裡來的呢？

Arguably, the first Monobloc was made in 1946 by Canadian designer DC Simpson.

可以說，第一張 Monobloc 椅是由加拿大設計師 DC Simpson 於 1946 年製作的。

However, at the time, the molding process was not suitable for cheap mass production and the whole concept might have been a bit ahead of its time.

然而，當時的成型工藝並不適合廉價的大規模生產，整個概念可能有點超前於時代。

But in the sixties, designers got interested in the idea of plastic molded chairs, notably the Bofinger chair by Helmut Betzner and a chair.

但在六十年代，設計師對塑膠模製椅子的想法產生了興趣，特別是 Helmut Betzner 的 Bofinger 椅子和椅子。

And Chair Universale by Joe Colombo, which was made of several individual molded parts.

還有 Joe Colombo 設計的通用椅 (Chair Universale) 由多個單獨的模製部件製成。

But maybe the most important step towards the Monobloc was the introduction of a chair that is now considered a classic in design.

但也許邁向 Monobloc 椅最重要的一步是推出了一款現在被認為是設計經典的椅子。

This is Verner Panton's single-piece cantilever chair.

這是 Verner Panton 的單件懸臂椅。

Even if a comparison between the expensive designer chair and the less appreciated garden chair may seem strange.

即使昂貴的設計師椅子和不太受讚賞的花園椅子之間的比較可能看起來很奇怪。

The Penton chair is a technical predecessor since it is the world's first plastic chair that went into production using the same molding method used in today's Monoblocs.

Penton 椅子是技術上的前身，因為它是世界上第一張塑膠椅子，採用與當今整體座椅相同的成型方法進行生產。

Plus, Verner Panton designed the chair in a way that makes it stackable.

另外，Verner Panton 設計的椅子可堆疊。

After the success of the Panton chair, there were a number of chairs worldwide that were inspired by this production method.

Panton 椅取得成功後，全球出現了許多受這種生產方法啟發的椅子。

And with the introduction of cheaper thermal plastics, the path became clear for the mass production of the Monobloc.

隨著更便宜的熱塑性塑膠的引入，整體生產的道路變得清晰。

In 1972, the French designer Henry Massonnet launched the Fauteuil 300.

1972年，法國設計師 Henry Massonnet 推出了 Fauteuil 300。

But it probably took until 1983 when the Grosfillex Group launched a resin garden chair that the Monobloc was sold in large quantities at a cheap price.

但大概直到 1983 年 Grosfillex 集團推出樹脂花園椅時，Monobloc 椅才以低廉的價格大量銷售。

The chair is produced using injection molding.

該椅子採用注塑成型工藝生產。

Here, polypropylene granulates are heated to 220 °C and injected into a mold that forms the chair.

在這裡，聚丙烯顆粒被加熱到 220°C 並注入形成椅子的模具中。

The name Monobloc derives from this method as the end product is made from a single unbroken material.

Monobloc 這個名稱源自於這種方法，因為最終產品是由單一完整材料製成的。

The molds for such production are expensive and cost hundreds of thousands, sometimes millions of dollars.

用於這種生產的模具價格昂貴，花費數十萬，有時甚至數百萬美元。

But the production is greatly scalable since it requires little workforce, time and low material costs.

但生產具有很大的可擴展性，因為它需要很少的勞動力、時間和較低的材料成本。

As a result, a single chair in production only costs about $3 and is usually sold for around $10.

因此，一把椅子的生產成本僅為 3 美元左右，通常售價約 10 美元。

Today, there are dozens of different Monobloc designs available.

如今，有數十種不同的 Monobloc 設計可供選擇。

Ones with vertical or horizontal slots or without them; with handles and different shapes and all sorts of different colors.

有或沒有垂直或水平槽的； 有把手，有不同的形狀和各種不同的顏色。

But still, you know a Monobloc when you see one.

但是，當你看到，就會知道他是 Monobloc 椅。

You could also see the chair as a result of some kind of market evolution.

你也可以將椅子視為某種市場演變的結果。

The chair has evolved with material thicknesses perfectly adjusted so that they are as thin and inexpensive as possible, but still stable and durable.

這款椅子的材質厚度經過完美調整，盡可能薄且便宜，但仍穩定耐用。

A chair that is weather-proof, stackable and light.

一款防風雨、可堆疊且輕便的椅子。

Fundamentally, there's not much you can change about it.

從根本上來說，這個椅子沒有什麼可以改變的。

It works universally around the globe.

它在全世界都普遍適用。

Maybe it is a perfect design that fulfills everything a designer aspires to, but you might still hate it.

也許這是一個完美的設計，滿足了設計師所渴望的一切，但你可能仍然討厭它。

And this is where context comes back to play.

這就是上下文再次發揮作用的地方。

How we read a design depends on our knowledge of it and what it reminds us of.

我們如何解讀設計取決於我們對它的了解以及它讓我們想起什麼。

Maybe we just don't value it enough.

也許我們只是還不夠重視它。

These wide plastic chairs are everywhere so we might as well start liking them.

這些寬大的塑膠椅子隨處可見，所以我們不妨開始喜歡它們。

Thank you so much for watching.

非常感謝你的觀看。

I hope you enjoyed it.

我喜歡你喜歡。

If you did, please leave a like and subscribe that way you support more videos like this.

如果您這樣做了，請按讚並訂閱，這樣你就可以支援更多這樣的影片。

Also, if you want to read more about this topic, check out the video description for some links to articles that were really helpful in making this video.

另外，如果你想了解有關此主題的更多信息，請查看說明欄，獲取一些對製作此影片確實有幫助的文章連結。