Overview
Design by George Nelson, 1955.
By Vitra.
When originally manufactured, the Flock of Butterflies clock was known only by its design number (2226), as were all Nelson clocks. Reissued as the "Flock of Butterflies" in 2010 by Vitra, this wall clock conveys movement and a radiant energy in its intricately formed varnished aluminum surface.
Design associates George Nelson, Isamu Noguchi, Bucky Fuller, and Irving Harper erupted in to a collaborative exercise on clock design one evening over drinks. From that spontaneous evening, grew an estimated 150 unique clocks designed by George Nelson into the 50s and 60s. These icons of modern design remain relevant and imaginative today and are produced by Vitra using the same design specifications as their original producer, the Howard Miller Company.
Notes:
Battery included
Returns: No returns are accepted on this product.
Specifications
Material(s): Sheet aluminum, varnished
Dimensions: 24" Dia
Models
201-617-01
Designer: George Nelson
When writing about the course of his remarkable 50-year career, George Nelson described a series of creative "zaps" — moments of out-of-the-blue inspiration "when the solitary individual finds he is connected with a reality he never dreamed of."
Nelson said that for a designer to deal creatively with human needs, "he must first make a radical, conscious break with all values he identifies as antihuman." Designers also must constantly be aware of the consequences of their actions on people and society. In fact, he declared that "total design is nothing more or less than a process of relating everything to everything." So he said that rather than specializing, designers must cultivate a broad base of knowledge and understanding.
Nelson did so as few are able, and, with the help of well-timed zaps, he helped define modern, humane design.
View other products by George Nelson Manufacturer: Vitra
Vitra. Classic. Modern. Sustainable.
Vitra has manufactured furniture designs by Charles & Ray Eames and George Nelson since 1957. Building on this foundation, Vitra has developed a wide range of furnishings for the office, for the home and for public spaces in collaboration with progressive designers. Yet Vitra is more than just a design-oriented manufacturing company. The name also stands for the Vitra Design Museum, for a collection of modern furniture and its accompanying archive, for workshops and publications on topics of design, and for an architectural concept that unites buildings by Frank Gehry, Nicholas Grimshaw, Zaha Hadid, Tadao Ando, Alvaro Siza, Herzog & de Meuron and SANAA at the Vitra Headquarters in Birsfelden (Switzerland) and on the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein (Germany).
Product longevity is central to Vitra's contribution to sustainable development; short-lived styling is avoided at all costs. This can be seen most clearly in the classical pieces of furniture that have been used for decades, had several owners and have then even ended up as a part of a collection. For Vitra, the manufacture of sustainable products means intense pre-production development, where the highest-grade materials are selected and tests are carried out that simulate 15 years of use. In order to enforce and monitor sustainable development in all business activities of the company, a work group was formed in 1986 by the name of 'Vitra and the Environment'. Because of this, Vitra can proudly claim that it has been dedicated to sustainability for nearly a quarter of a century.
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