The RBF/TNF Connection 1970 - 1983

R Buckminster Fuller and The North Face
1970 - 1983

I have dug deep into old files that have not seen the light of day in as many as 40 years.

From the first contact to Bucky's dedication of The North Face's new office building two weeks before his death, there was a long and affectionate relationship between many of us at TNF and Bucky. 

From the introduction of the Oval Intention with a quote from Synergetics, to The Now House, to his first visit to TNF and the 3 Meter Demo Dome, to the dedication of the 1978 catalog, to the deal for Bucky to make a design for TNF for a new family size tent, I have gathered letters, photos, quotes, and drawings and designs from many sources, including my notebooks that may interest anyone familiar with the history of The North Face.

The geodesic tents in particular were the link appearing on the cover of magazines as diverse as Sports Illustrated, Nov ’83, Apparel  Industry, July ’85 and Playboy Feb, 86. But to me, The One Man Running Ball size Medium and the Ball Beings are on a par as examples of "livingry".

More to follow in three installments. As they say, "Stay tuned to OutInUnder.

(Photos: top = Bruce and Cathy , about 1972, inside a tensegrity “B-Boom” sphere made from TNF pole sections salvaged from  warranty returns; bottom =  Bruce at San Francisco MOMA, 3/31/2012 opening of  The Utopian Impulse: Buckminster Fuller and the Bay Area. The Oval Intention was featured along with other design and architecture inspired by Bucky.)