The Industrial Revolution and Industrialisation.

The industrial Revolution started off in Britain, Manchester in the 18^th century. It was the time when Britain was transformed from an agricultural nation into the manufacturing workshop of the world. It was James Watt’s Steam engine invention that marked the beginning of industrialisation. The steam engine was invented in 1765 and it revolutionised the mining industry by pumping out water out of the mines and the steel production. The steam engine was an important invention in the industrial revolution. Industrialisation also brought the benefit of the improvement of technology.

                The steam engine and industrialisation led to changes in the production of goods and transport system. Now the goods were mass produced and not individually made by craftsmen. The planning of goods freed itself from the process of production. Industrialisation also brought about the population increase in town and cities due to the fact that the people move from rural areas to urban areas. This resulted in the need of new housing and urban growth. Urban growth resulted in new factories, administration centres, train stations; rail road’s and ports (changes in the transport system).  

Mass production became a necessity due to the fact that such manufacturing processes attain high rates of output at low unit cost. Mass production also became the norm with people expecting low cost products at a high rate of production. Mass production also helped the job industry due to the fact that more people got the chance to work in the factories.  The industrial revolution also introduced child labour. The factories would use children because of their size and because they were very cheap. Children were used to go into or underneath the machines and fix any problems that could be fixed on sight. This led to many deaths and injuries to the children, however it was not considered a problem for the factory owner due to the fact that if one child dies or gets injured then he would replace the child with another one.

 

 

The changes that the industrial revolution brought with it meant that there would be a rise in the designing activity. Industrialisation also brought the birth of design profession with it. One designer that stood during this revolution was Michael Thonet.  Michael Thonet designed the Thonet chair number 14 in 1859.The Thonet chair was prized for its lightness and gentle organic curves that it possessed. The chair was produced by using a revolutionary process. Michael Thonet used the heat of the steam to bend the solid beech wood into shape. The steam bending process enabled Thonet to produce the curve by two back legs and the chair back from just one piece. The front legs, another loop to support the back and the seat completed the frame of the chair. The result was a simple, light, strong and for that time elegant chair which was easy to stack and easy to assemble, and most importantly a chair which was affordable for the people. The Thonet chair was machine and also hand-made it was also easy to transport. Michael Thonet united craftsmanship with industrial production.

References:

Mary Bellis. 2014. Captivity of Steam. [ONLINE] Available at: http://inventors.about.com/od/wstartinventors/a/JamesWatt.htm. [Accessed 17 October 14].

FotoLibra . 2005. JAMES WATT'S STEAM ENGINE-ILLUSTRATION. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.fotolibra.com/gallery/50026/james-watts-steam-engine-illustration/. [Accessed 17 October 14].

Weebly. 2014. The Turning Point of the Industrial Revolution. [ONLINE] Available at: http://theindustrialrevolutioninhistory.weebly.com/industrial-inventions.html. [Accessed 17 October 14].

The Hot Aisle. 2008. How to run IT Operations more effectively with fewer people. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.thehotaisle.com/2008/06/18/how-to-run-it-operations-more-effectively-with-fewer-people/. [Accessed 17 October 14].

Co.Design. 2012. How Do You Make The World's Most Popular Chair?. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.fastcodesign.com/1669142/how-do-you-make-the-worlds-most-popular-chair. [Accessed 17 October 14].

Vitra Design Museum. 2012. Chair No.14 Michael Thonet. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.design-museum.de/en/collection/100-masterpieces/detailseiten/sessel-soehne.html. [Accessed 17 October 14].