Torneraj

Torneraj is a seat with a revolutionary spirit.
Designed by Giorgio Ceretti, Pietro Derossi and Riccardo Rossi at the end of the Sixties, it is one of the symbols of Gufram's "outside the box" spirit. As a matter of fact, Torneraj is a seat that rebels against impositions, in full radical design spirit: it tries to oppose one's weight and always goes back to its initial shape – you squash it and it comes back – and opposes the idea of the perennial novelty in things. Torneraj is an object that seeks tear and wear; we need to use it to discover its real essence, its deepest meaning. As a matter of fact, the repetitive use of Torneraj will create cracks on the surface of the seat, which will give it added value with the passing of time.
The elementary geometry shapes (a fourth of a cylinder), together with the surface's primary colours (the background is a light white chequered weave), make Torneraj an almost archetypical shape, a primordial model. Even if it does not look like an armchair, it is transformed into a seat by the weight of one's body, thus playing on the ambiguity form-function, which has always been one of Gugram's distinctive traits.
Torneraj is a piece realized in polyurethane foam covered with Guflac, the special and unique finish patented by Gufram that enables to make polyurethane look like leather, while maintaining its flexibility and softness.
The hole in the centre of the backrest makes it easier for it to bear the weight of the body and go back to its original configuration; at the same time it works as a handle, so that the seat can be transported with ease, thus highlighting its free and nomadic spirit.
And it is exactly to celebrate the revolutionary charge of this piece, which is part of MoMA's collection, that Gufram has decided to restart the production of Tornetaj, thus giving homage to its distinguishing spirit against-the-tide.