{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O1763087"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1763087/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2026PN0562/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2026PN0562/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"low","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2026PN0562","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":null},"record":{"systemNumber":"O1763087","accessionNumber":"CD.17-2026","objectType":"BERTIL ","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"This is the first computer generated asset used in an IKEA catalogue, created in 2005. It is of the Bertil chair, and marks an important landmark in digital design history where the introduction of rendering and 3D technologies by a large, influential company changed design expectations for the industry at large. \n\r\nThe ‘physical’ Bertil chair was designed by IKEA furniture design Nike Karlsson in 2005, however for the release of the 2006 catalogue, IKEA challenged three American interns specialising in computer graphics to create a digital 3D render of the product rather than a studio photograph of the product, as was typical for IKEA at the time. This commission was also partly an experiment to solve IKEA’s problem in presenting multiple, combinational options for products which they wanted to present digitally, however at the time it was only possible to introduce one single computer-generated image within the team. The Bertil chair was then placed alongside other studio photographs in its first and only appearance in the 2006 catalogue. Martin Enthed, the head of IKEA’s Digital Lab, remarked that ‘I don’t think anyone noticed, and that’s the whole intention’.  \n\r\nThe textures of the Bertil Chair were created from ‘real world’ samples – taken from real images of real wood, with real resolution, and therefore don’t repeat at large scale. The Bertil chair was created by what would a year later becomes IKEA’s Digital Lab, fronted by Martin Enthed, which would then go on to further digitally recreate more of IKEA’s objects for a digital asset database which was first built in 2009. The first room with computer assets was introduced to a catalogue in 2009, which continued to expand into a common practice for the company. \n\r\nIn 2018, Enthed detailed that IKEA’s work to expand their 3D model library had progressed significantly, with 6000 or more products now completely 3D rendered (rather than digitised product photography placed into a computer-generated setting), and 95% of images by computer software.  \r\n","physicalDescription":"A computer generated image of IKEA's BERTIL chair. This asset has been created from photographic material (natural wood textures). ","artistMakerPerson":[],"artistMakerOrganisations":[{"name":{"text":"IKEA","id":"A4721"},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":""}],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"","id":""}],"techniques":[{"text":"computer-generated","id":"x44521"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Computer generated material and photographic images. ","categories":[{"text":"Digital design","id":"THES273936"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"DAD","id":"THES260586"},"images":["2026PN0562"],"imageResolution":"low","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"DAMS","id":"THES280561"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"computer generated image","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Sweden","id":"x29198"},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"2005","earliest":"2005-01-01","latest":"2005-12-31"},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Inter Ikea Systems B.V.","dimensions":[],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"Originals held at IKEA Archives and Collection. ","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"BERTIL computer generated product asset, created for the 2006 IKEA catalogue. ","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"This asset was created by three unnamed American computer graphics interns at IKEA. ","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["CD.17-2026"],"accessionNumberNum":"17","accessionNumberPrefix":"CD","accessionYear":2026,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":["2023NR2535","2023NR2536","2023NR2537"],"recordModificationDate":"2026-03-31","recordCreationDate":"2023-08-23","availableToBook":false}}