Young dutch designer Jólan van der Wiel has been announced as the winner of the Contest for young designers at the imm cologne fair.
Using a magnetic plastic compounds, magnets and simple gravity, Jólan gives birth to the Gravity Stool, an expressive piece of furniture that is like a frozen moment of physics exposing the forces in action. You can see the full process on the above video by Miranda Stet.
The Gravity Stool thanks its unique shape to the cooperation between magnetic fields and the power of gravity.
Departing from the idea that everything is influenced by gravitation, a force that has a strongly shaping effect, I intended to manipulate this natural phenomenon by exploiting its own power: magnetism. The positioning of the magnetic fields in the machine, opposing each other, has largely determined the final shape of the Gravity Stool.
It is the combination of the magnet machine with the plastic material, developed especially for this purpose, that enabled me to start a small but efficient chain of production. The forms and products are characterized by the freakisch and organic shapes that are so typical of nature itself.
As a designer, I see future potential in the joined cooperative forces combining technology with natural phenomena. It is my believe that developing new “tools” is an important means of inspiring and allowing new forms to take shape.
Interesting concept. Do you imagine it applied in architecture?
The gravity stool is available for purchase through Transnatural Label.