26 Original Fakes
Thank You for Smoking

Thank You for Smoking, a novel by Christopher Buckley, tells the story of Nick Naylor, a tobacco industry lobbyist that promotes the benefits of cigarettes. Along with his colleagues in the alcohol and firearms industry, they form what is known as the Merchants of Death.

This satirical view of the tobacco industry is the counterpart to the Replica Furniture Industry here in Australia.

The juxtaposition to the plot is that the satire portrayed in the novel, is in fact reality in our local furniture industry. We can only hope that the Merchants of Death (replica furniture creators, distributors, and resellers) will go up in flames, as the true designers are able to rise from the ashes.

The piece was produced for 26 Original Fakes, an exhibition for Melbourne Design Week 2017.

Year: 2017
Project team: Dave Bickmore, Graham Charbonneau