Olya in Vietnam, December 2013
My career (which, incidentally, is in technology and management, not photography) began at a large mining company. I loved witnessing the big picture firsthand: the manufacturing chain that connects us all, from the underground mines in Sudbury to the Eames knockoffs manufactured in China.
I found it particularly delightful how a basic idea, like that of a chair, could take on so many shapes and forms. Mid-century designs are especially fascinating; the original concept from the 1950s continues to feel modern and fresh 70 years later, living on through massively distributed networks of manufacturing chains around the world.
The combination of these elements – the global interconnectivity of ideas and the manufacturing chains that materialize these ideas – led to my decade-plus project of photographing small designer chairs in the context of large, real-world locations.
The miniature designer chair series, which started in 2011, spans the globe.
For inquiries about collaborations or specific print requests, please get in touch via email at olya@olya.org.