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Catalog Data

Designed by:
Ron Arad, British Israeli, born 1951  Search this
Used by:
Michael Jackson, American, 1958 - 2009  Search this
Janet Jackson, American, born 1966  Search this
Medium:
leather, foam, and wood
Dimensions:
H x W: 36 3/4 × 50 3/4 × 38 in. (93.3 × 128.9 × 96.5 cm)
Type:
armchairs
props (object genres)
Date:
1995
Caption:
This chair was used in the 1995 music video for the duet "Scream" by siblings Michael and Janet Jackson. The song, along with "Childhood," was the first single released from Michael Jackson's ninth studio album, "HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I", and was a response to the media's treatment. The video, directed by Mark Romanek, is shot in black and white and features the two singers living on a spacecraft. Both of them sit in the chair while viewing digital renderings of classic works of art by clicking a handheld remote. The video was nominated for eleven (11) MTV Video Music Awards and won three (3) of them. It was also awarded the Billboard Music Award for Best Pop/Rock Video and the Grammy for Best Music Video, Short Form. At $7 million, it remains one of the most expensive music videos ever made. The stark, futuristic setting has become iconic and continues to influence music videos into the twenty-first century. Janet Jackson performed the song during a tribute to her recently deceased brother at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.
Description:
An off-white leather chair with oversized rounded arms used in the music video for the song "Scream" by Michael and Janet Jackson. The base of the chair is square, with the seat extending outward slightly and curved to fit each leg of the sitter at the center front. The back of the seat and the backs of the arms are at a slightly lower angle than the front. The upper back of the chair is curved. Self-piping is attached around the outline of the back and the arms. Four (4) short wooden feet are attached to the base, one in each corner.
Topic:
African American  Search this
Funk (Music)  Search this
Popular music  Search this
Rhythm and blues (Music)  Search this
Rock and roll (Music)  Search this
Singers (Musicians)  Search this
Credit Line:
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number:
2014.97.1
Restrictions & Rights:
© Ron Arad
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
See more items in:
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification:
Tools and Equipment-Props and set design
Movement:
Afrofuturism
On View:
NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Concourse, C 050
Data Source:
National Museum of African American History and Culture
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5988bcfc7-7aba-4a85-963f-6aec19ad90a7
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmaahc_2014.97.1