Wonder Powder: Materials Take On New Sensory Appeal
Published 02 May 2024
This year’s Milan Design Week (April 15-21) was packed with captivating events designed to engage the senses. Featuring amongst the immersive colour- and light-filled installations was Wonder Powder, a science-meets-art project that demonstrates the allure of more analogue sensory experiences.
Conceived by design studio We+ and technology manufacturer Shimadzu (both Japanese), the project aims to showcase the unexpected aesthetic qualities of powdered raw materials. The installation was inspired by chromatography – a laboratory technique (and Shimadzu’s flagship technology) typically used across healthcare, life sciences and environmental sectors to separate a mixture into its components for analysis.
To help make this fairly obscure scientific technology more comprehensible and visually appealing, the team suspended various natural and synthetic powders (including aluminium, bamboo charcoal, pyrite and acrylic resin) in water, within different moveable acrylic cases. Depending on the rhythm and speed of the movement of the case, and the size, weight and shape of the particles inside, different hypnotic patterns were created – with many akin to those of retro toys and objects, like lava lamps. Visitors could interact with some of the cases to influence the effects.
Despite its scientific basis, the project’s simple but captivating visuals tap into a growing desire for more diverse, accessible and light-hearted sensory experiences, in the wake of increasingly digitised worlds. Similar effects could be used to add more dynamic and engaging qualities to the likes of packaging, kids’ products, accessories and consumer electronics.
See our A/W 24/25 Direction Frolic for both Colour & Material and Product inspiration.
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