Prototype Spine Attachments for Eames Tandem Group

Typical of the Eameses’ systems approach to furniture design, after the successful launch of the EC127 they continued to look for other applications for the design (and its component parts) that would enable it to be utilized for different purposes and environments. With this set of unique prototype spine attachments, they sought to find a way to attach the EC127’s seats and backs to the already existing Tandem Group bases. Initially developed for airports in the early 1960s, the modular design offered efficient rows of individual seats (or table tops) affixed to a T-shaped, structural steel 3x3-inch support beam running the continuous length of the unit. Of these seven prototype spines, some are carved from wood and others are sand-cast in metal. The wooden prototypes would have been made first, with the aim of establishing the form. Metal would have followed, as the designers worked out the shape that would translate into the materials that would be used in production. In this case, the design was not pursued any further than this stage, likely due to the fact that castings would require a significant up-front investment in molds, and the need was already being met by existing Eames designs. Nonetheless, these prototypes offer a valuable record of the Eameses’ design exploration process.