iainclaridge.net

The Idea of a Tree, by Viennese designers Mischer’Traxler, is a machine that makes benches, containers and lamp shades, by drawing thread through a tank of dye, followed by a tank of resin, then wrapping it around a mould that’s rotated by a solar-powered motor.

The speed at which the machine spins the mould and draws the thread is determined by the amount of sunlight falling on it. With each piece taking a whole day to make, the resulting variations in thickness and colour-saturation along its length record the variations in daylight and shadow falling on it throughout the day.

“The goal of ‘the idea of a tree’- project was to bring the recording qualities of a tree and its dependence on natural cycles into products.

A tree is a product of its specific time and place. It reacts and develops according to its surrounding and constantly records various environmental impacts in its growth process. Each single tree tells its own story of development.”