Broken Chair
Encyclopedia
Broken Chair is a monumental sculpture
in wood by the Swiss artist Daniel Berset, constructed by the carpenter Louis Genève. It is constructed of 5.5 tons of wood
and is 12 metres (39 feet) high.
It depicts a giant chair
with a broken leg and stands across the street from the Palace of Nations, in Geneva
. It symbolises opposition to land mine
s and cluster bomb
s, and acts as a reminder to politicians and others visiting Geneva.
Suisse. The sculpture was erected by Handicap International in front of the main entrance to the Palais des Nations
in Geneva
in August 1997, where it was intended to remain for three months, until the signature of the Ottawa Treaty
in December 1997 in Ottawa. Following ratification by 40 countries, the Treaty became effective as an instrument of international law on 1st march 1999.
The failure of significant countries to sign the Treaty and the strong public support for the sculpture caused it to be left in place until 2005, when it was removed to allow extensive remodelling of the Place des Nations. After completion of the work, it was reinstalled in the same place in front of the United Nations Office at Geneva
on 26 February 2007.
The reinstallation of Broken Chair in February 2007 was officially dedicated by Handicap International to support the signature of an international treaty on a ban on Cluster Bombs (Convention on Cluster Munitions
), which was signed in Oslo in December 2008.
The work was the property of the sculptor until 2004, when he transferred ownership to Handicap International.
in the US, and the temporary The Writer on Hampstead Heath
in London.
Monumental sculpture
The term monumental sculpture is often used in art history and criticism, but not always consistently. It combines two concepts, one of function, and one of size, and may include an element of a third more subjective concept. It is often used for all sculptures that are large...
in wood by the Swiss artist Daniel Berset, constructed by the carpenter Louis Genève. It is constructed of 5.5 tons of wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
and is 12 metres (39 feet) high.
It depicts a giant chair
Chair
A chair is a stable, raised surface used to sit on, commonly for use by one person. Chairs are most often supported by four legs and have a back; however, a chair can have three legs or could have a different shape depending on the criteria of the chair specifications. A chair without a back or...
with a broken leg and stands across the street from the Palace of Nations, in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
. It symbolises opposition to land mine
Land mine
A land mine is usually a weight-triggered explosive device which is intended to damage a target—either human or inanimate—by means of a blast and/or fragment impact....
s and cluster bomb
Cluster bomb
A cluster munition is a form of air-dropped or ground-launched explosive weapon that releases or ejects smaller sub-munitions. Commonly, this is a cluster bomb that ejects explosive bomblets that are designed to kill enemy personnel and destroy vehicles...
s, and acts as a reminder to politicians and others visiting Geneva.
History
Broken Chair is a project of Paul Vermeulen, co-founder and director of Handicap InternationalHandicap International
Handicap International is a non-governmental organization created in 1982 to provide help in refugee camps in Cambodia and Thailand. Based in Belgium and France, it has since opened branches in six other countries : Switzerland, Luxembourg, United Kingdom, Germany, Canada and the United States...
Suisse. The sculpture was erected by Handicap International in front of the main entrance to the Palais des Nations
Palais des Nations
The Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, was built between 1929 and 1936 to serve as the headquarters of the League of Nations. It has served as the home of the United Nations Office at Geneva since 1946 when the Secretary General of the UN signed a Headquarters Agreement with the Swiss...
in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
in August 1997, where it was intended to remain for three months, until the signature of the Ottawa Treaty
Ottawa Treaty
The Ottawa Treaty or the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, officially known as the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction, aims at eliminating anti-personnel landmines around the world. , there were 158...
in December 1997 in Ottawa. Following ratification by 40 countries, the Treaty became effective as an instrument of international law on 1st march 1999.
The failure of significant countries to sign the Treaty and the strong public support for the sculpture caused it to be left in place until 2005, when it was removed to allow extensive remodelling of the Place des Nations. After completion of the work, it was reinstalled in the same place in front of the United Nations Office at Geneva
United Nations Office at Geneva
The United Nations Office at Geneva is the second-largest of the four major office sites of the United Nations...
on 26 February 2007.
The reinstallation of Broken Chair in February 2007 was officially dedicated by Handicap International to support the signature of an international treaty on a ban on Cluster Bombs (Convention on Cluster Munitions
Convention on Cluster Munitions
The Convention on Cluster Munitions is an international treaty that prohibits the use, transfer and stockpile of cluster bombs, a type of explosive weapon which scatters submunitions over an area. The convention was adopted on 2008 in Dublin, and was opened for signature on 2008 in Oslo...
), which was signed in Oslo in December 2008.
The work was the property of the sculptor until 2004, when he transferred ownership to Handicap International.
See also
Other giant chair sculptures are ChairChair (sculpture)
Chair is a public artwork designed as an advertisement by Bassett Furniture, located at the intersection of Martin Luther King Ave. & V. Street S.E., in the Anacostia neighorhood of Washington, D.C., United States of America. Chair was originally surveyed as part of the Smithsonian's Save Outdoor...
in the US, and the temporary The Writer on Hampstead Heath
Hampstead Heath
Hampstead Heath is a large, ancient London park, covering . This grassy public space sits astride a sandy ridge, one of the highest points in London, running from Hampstead to Highgate, which rests on a band of London clay...
in London.