It begs to be admired... and craves to cut knees and feet. Part of the Gravity Collection (via Jolanvanderwiel.com)
Playing with magnets is fun when you're a kid but for some, like Dutch designer Jolan Van der Wiel, the fascination never ends. That's why he created the gravity stool. By using magnets, iron shavings, dye, clay and water, Wiel manipulated the gravitational pull of magnets to make a true one-of-a-kind masterpiece.
Imagine landing on Mars and seeing an upside-down icicle with a top that's just flat enough to sit on: that's the gravity chair. The galactic stool looks like something straight out of space and it is shaped by the force of gravity. Wiel designed the funky futuristic stool and believes natural forces should be used to shape more things in our modern world. Move over Frank Lloyd Wright.
The gravity stool is made by mixing iron shavings into a batch of his special clay mixture. The ratio of clay to metal is 9 to 1 and after Wiel mixes his metallic clay, he pours it into a pan. The pan (which eventually forms the seat of the stool) holds the mixture and is placed below a structure that holds three powerful magnets at just the right position to create the legs of the stool (Wiel designed the structure himself). Slowly, the now-magnetized clay in the pan begins reaching towards the magnets, bit-by-bit until it completely dries. The final product is a stone stool that was largely shaped by gravity and air pressure. Each and every stool is unique and although it's nothing you'd see at West Elm, it sure does make a great conversation piece.
Wiel's project is called Architecture meets Magnetism. While the first series of magnetic designs include funky sculptures and the gravity stool, Wiel eventually envisions entire buildings being constructed using gigantic magnets. Inspired by Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia, Wiel is set on taking his "natural" designs to the streets - and the runway--, as he hasteamed up with a fashion designer to make new, fashionable attire for the next league of space cadets. Work it R2, work it!
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