The essence of a product lies in its ability to function as a tool, rooted in its origins. However, the world has shifted to a point where people encounter images of these products more frequently than the products themselves. This has created an imbalance—where visual impressions accumulate, often detached from the tangible reality of the tool's physical presence. With this challenge in mind, we considered presenting designs that cannot be effectively communicated through visual media alone. What might such a design look like? Perhaps it would highlight the limitations of photography—its inability to fully capture mass, texture, or the nuances of light and shadow.
As this idea took shape, inspiration struck from a 3mm-thick aluminum sheet and fishing line lying in a corner of our studio. We envisioned a lightweight piece of furniture employing tension structures, with a strikingly minimal sense of volume. In collaboration with UACJ Group, a comprehensive aluminum manufacturer, we brought this concept to life using 100% recycled aluminum material, "ALmitas+ SMART," which underwent precise processing.
While developing the mockup on a "visual" monitor, there was a moment when, from a certain angle, the materiality of the object vanished entirely. All that remained was a pure, linear form on the screen. It was startling. It didn't convey anything. And yet, that felt right. Through this project, we hope to provoke reflection on the contrast between a product's tangible functionality as a tool in the real world and its existence as mere visual data in the digital realm.