An ‘unsung…[hero]…of the European Modern Movement’, was the great Charlotte Perriand (The Charnel-House). She designed some of the most recognisable pieces that came out of the Modernist movement, yet her attached identity to the work has only gained recognition as of recent years. ‘Women in graphic design have been rendered invisible for so long’ due to the period of Modernism being consumed by male figures and gender roles, especially in the work force (Connory 2017). Throughout the ‘short history…[of female recognition in the design industry, women]…have been denied accolades, begrudged inclusion into the inner circles of the design industry bodies and have had to juggle the high demands of motherhood to remain in positions of power’ (Connory 2017). Perriands experience in particular was quite rare during such a conservative era. Le Corbusier hired her in the events following his initial statement to Perriand that ‘we don’t embroider cushions in my atelier’. In fact, Perriand took quite a neutral position during the feminist movement that occurred throughout the movement. Perriand had a ‘deep admiration for Le Corbusier…[and insisted]…that being a woman did not interfere with her career.’ She also found ‘pleasure in seeing her work as part of a collaborative process’ (Mcleod 2004).
According to Cassina’s biography of Perriand, she ‘brought about a profound change in aesthetic values and gave birth to a truly modern sensitivity towards life’ (Cassina). As a female in a male dominated industry and society, Perriand’s talent slipped under the radar and laid pretty much dormant until her design were finally acknowledged later on in life. At 24 years old, she started a ‘decade-long collaboration with Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret’ (Wolfe 2013). She added a ‘distinct dimension of humaneness to the often cold rationalism of Le Corbusier’, but this feminine touch was always overshadowed by the success of the male parties (Wolfe 2013). Aside from the three tubular-steel chairs that Perriand designed in collaboration with Le Corbusier and Jeanneret, her other work hardly saw the spotlight, regardless of the fact that her career spanned almost 30 years in the industry (Wolfe 2013).
Perriand’s designs have gone on to become extremely recognisable within contemporary society today. Amongst these designs are her famous ‘Tokyo 522 Chaise Longue’ (see figure 1) and the ‘LC7’ chair (see figure 2), made in collaboration with Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret. The notable ‘Chaise Lounge’, otherwise known as the ‘resting machine’ (Bartolucci), resembles what appears to be the form of a figure, which would hug its users body shape quite comfortably. There is a minimalist, contemporary feel to the design, clearly showing that Perriand was designing beyond her years and the current trends at the time. Her designs were ‘nothing short of revolutionary’ (Bartolucci) and deserved to have had more acknowledgment during the Modernist Period.
The LC7 chair, whilst quite simple in its design, is beautiful and functional in the way that it serves ergonomically. Although Perriand solely designed and exhibited the pivoting chair, it was ultimately recognised as a collaboration with Le Corbusier and Jeanneret. She was content with this. (Mcleod 2004) As both men were so well recognised throughout the modernist movement, anything created that was attached to their name had its moment in the spotlight. Perriand wasn’t interested in ‘attaining individual recognition’, rather she saw it being more important that the chair was ‘regarded as part of a collective vision of modern living’ and she ‘saw herself as an equal participant with considerable choice and control’ in the collaboration (Mcleod 2004). This appears to be the typical response from most female designers from this period, who weren’t interested in causing a fuss about gender roles, rather just wanting their work to be manufactured and put out into the world. Some could argue that this approach is why it took so long for change to occur within the design world, and that it is women like Perriand, who of all women, could have pushed for change in her position of power over the thinking of Le Corbusier and Jeanneret.
It is true that ‘all designers should be encouraged to take management training, which should include gender issues and stereotyping.’ In this way ‘design institutions and their journals would show more awareness of the problem and ensure that employers realise how much potential talent may be lost through the discouragement of creative women.’ (Bruce and Lewis 1990) This powerful statement comes after intensive research and analysis of the presence of females within the design industry compared to the amount of women who graduated from university. It is this forward thinking that changed the design world for women, and while there are still mountains to be moved, the gender gap in the design world has closed significantly over time.
Reference:
Bruce, Margaret, and Jenny Lewis. 1990. Women Designers: is There a Gender Trap?. London: Butterworth & Co (Publishers) Ltd.
Cassina, Charlotte Perriand. Cassina. Accessed April 11, 2019. https://www.cassina.com/en/designer/charlotte-perriand
Jane Connory, 2017. Plotting the Historical Pipeline of Women in Graphic Design. DHARN. Accessed 11 April, 2019. http://dharn.org.au/plotting-the-historical-pipeline-of-women-in-graphic-design/
Marisa Bartolucci, The 16 Most-Popular Mid-Century Modern Chairs. 1stdibs. Accessed 11 April 2019 https://www.1stdibs.com/blogs/the-study/mid-century-modern-chairs/
Mcleod, Mary. 2004. Perriand: Reflections on Feminism and Modern Architecture. Harvard Design Magazine, No. 20. Accessed April 11, 2019. http://www.harvarddesignmagazine.org/issues/20/perriand-reflections-on-feminism-and-modern-architecture
Perriand, Charlotte. 1927. LC7. Photograph. Accessed 11 April 2019. https://www.spacefurniture.com.au/lc7-chair.html
Perriand, Charlotte. 1940. 522 Tokyo Chaise Longue. Photograph. Accessed 11 April, 2019. https://www.mutualart.com/Artwork/-TOKYO-522–CHAISE-LONGUE-FOR-CASSINA/14453D95F24237F9
Ross Wolfe, 2013. The Modernism of Charlotte Perriand. The Charnel House. Accessed April 11, 2019. https://thecharnelhouse.org/2013/12/05/the-modernism-of-charlotte-perriand/
Design DiALOGUE 
Hi Claire, after doing research myself on Charlotte Perriand, it is no doubt at all that she was an extremely impressive designer. Her work with Le Corbusier was not only bold and minimalist, but it changed the way that women were involved within industrial and furniture design during that time.
I find it quite interesting that industrial design, much more so than graphic design is still so heavily dominated by men. Perriand broke down these barriers, or at least refused to be bound by these social norms of the time. Her use of materials such as tubular steel, forging metals and using timbers in inspire furniture makers to this day, yet not much thought is given to the extra hurdles she had to face to get to the position she was in.
I wonder if she were a practicing designer today how her work would appear now. I found through my own research that it has not been until quite recent history (the last 5-10 years) that industrial design has been less of a ‘boys club’. The industrial design course now has a much more even balance between males and females, yet due to the social construct surrounding the ‘hands on’ and ‘technical subject’ (Bruce, Margaret, Lewis 1990) , many females haven’t been encouraged to undertake these subjects earlier on in their education, only furthering the androcentric industrial design field.
I wonder how she would use the modern materials available, and the current techniques we have available to us. Perriand used many techniques that were new at the time in furniture, such as rolling tubular steel, similar to what was seen at the Bauhaus. Looking at the works created by Perriand, I think it would be extremely interesting to see how she would utilise current day technology to push the boundaries and create new, timeless pieces of design.
Reference:
Bruce, Margaret, and Jenny Lewis. 1990. Women Designers: is There a Gender Trap?. London: Butterworth & Co (Publishers) Ltd.
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