Jane Atfield 30th Anniversary Exhibition at Emma Scully Gallery in NYC.

An exhibition celebrating the work of pioneering British designer Jane Atfield has come to New York. Held at Emma Scully Gallery in Manhattan, the show coincides with the 30th anniversary of the release of Atfield’s RCP2 chair, one of the first pieces of furniture made exclusively from recycled plastics.

Running till the 30th of April, the furniture showcase features an array of reissued versions of the RCP2 chairs by the original plastic manufacturer, Yemm and Hart, along with the production of a new, unique table.

Atfield’s visionary work in sustainability and ecologically conscious design began during her time studying furniture design at the Royal College of Art (RCA). There, she came across a small sample of Missouri-based manufacturers Yemm and Hart’s recycled, high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic board sheets, and was inspired by the material to design the RCP2 chair using Yemm & Hart as the manufacturer. After debuting her first recycled plastic chair during her graduation show at the RCA in 1992, Atfield developed MADE OF WASTE, an agency for recycled materials, where she explored new ways to incorporate recycled materials in design.

The RCP2 chair, whose simple form was inspired by Gerrit Rietveld’s 1923 Military Side Chair, addressed contemporary design issues through the radical honesty of its evocative, colourful materiality, where the former life of the chair as waste-consumer product is exposed. Atfield’s early speculation of the necessity to utilise reclaimed materials set her apart as one of the earliest designers to react to questions of climate change and consumer culture. This innovative perspective led to the widespread use of recycled plastics throughout the industry with many designers in the subsequent 30 years working within the proactive precedent Jane set.

Three colourways of the RCP-2 chair will be released as editions of 25—a replica of Jane and Stephen Yemm’s first multicoloured confetti prototype, a MADE OF WASTE blue edition and a debut black and white edition, with an original Jane Atfield table that has never been produced—until now. Find out more here.

Related: Chairity Project Returns with 18 Australian Creatives Transforming a Chair for Charity.

[Images courtesy of Emma Scully Gallery. Photography by Sean Davidson.]