FUROSHIKI

Furoshiki [EEK] is a type of traditional Japanese wrapping cloth ,traditionally used to transport clothes, gifts, or other goods. It began to be used in the mid-Nara Era, in traditional Japanese baths (Onsen), to not confuse or mix the clothes. In recent years, the use of Furoshiki is promoted again, to ensure environment protection ,in Japan and worldwide. Through this project, there is an intention of giving a new perspective to the wood material, with the aim to create a foldable surface out of wood, which can perform in different three-dimensional shapes and function as furniture and interior space product. The material ranges between hard and soft, seating and curtain, blurring relationships between furniture and textiles, becoming a ‘Wooden Furoshiki’. The wood that is used is a special tree called Yew. Yew is widely used in landscaping and ornamental horticulture, but not in construction or carpentry. The challenge of this design is to approach the yew with information technology, take the material’s irregularities as design input and create meaningful order out of them. What is very prominent on the surface of yew tree sections is a special flower-shaped grain which comes as a result of the twisted and knotty growth of the tree. We take advantage of these characteristics of yew tree and focus on the grain its section has, with the aim to expose it on our design. Through tracing and milling through the grain of each section, we manage to have a variety of rings of different size and shape, while using the most of the wood provided. There is no pair of same rings. Each ring produced is similar, yet unique. By using polygon packing techniques, the idea is to create an interesting pattern out of wooden rings. The final pattern is completely dependent on the provided rings and can never be the same. As well as, the same pieces can produce a variety of different patterns. These irregular pieces, with which we end up, can be connected in many, different and not directly predictable ways. The folding ability of the surface differentiates in several parts of the surface, due to the size and density of the pieces, as wells as the way in which the pieces are connected to each other. The joints are specially designed for the needs of this project. There are two types of joints which are used, ball joints and wire joints. Ball joints are located at the edges and the center line of the structure and function as lockers and connectors, stabilizing the structure on the desired form. While, wire joints keep the pieces connected and in some distance between them [around 4mm], thus allowing a freedom of movement on the surface. The relations which are developed between the wooden elements have immediate effect to the whole of the structure. While, in reverse, any change on the whole has effects on its different parts. Due to its flexibility and changeability, interaction between the user and the object is keenly promoted in the case of ‘Wooden Furoshiki’. The user can fold it, unfold and fold in a different way, giving to the object different functions according to his needs. When transformed, ‘Wooden Furoshiki’ can acquire different functions, from a piece of furniture lying on the ground to a hanging object functioning as a chandelier or a curtain. The light and shadows of the object can create a very interesting atmosphere in the interior of a space. Through this project, we manage to combine computational design (algorithmic design), contemporary techniques and craftsman-ship. Algorithmic design integrates the potential for unpredictable patterns, as well as technology enhances our ‘hands on’ approach and enables a unique way of using materials.