Israel-based product designer Hilla Shamia has always been interested with the imperfections within controlled products. Presented during 2012 Milan design week, ‘wood casting’ is made from a whole tree trunk that enabled Shamia to preserve the natural form of the piece while still having distinct boundaries in its creation. Firstly, molten aluminum is spread over the wood, scorching the surface; the log is then sectioned into square forms. Individual sections are then paired with differently sized frames –ranging from a coffee table to night stand– used to cast the metal body of the furniture. The hot liquid metal is poured into the molds, which are removed once the aluminum has cooled and set to reveal the now-sutured log and metal legs, enjoined by a dark band of char.
“Furniture combining cast aluminum and wood. The negative factor of burnt wood is transformed into aesthetic and emotional value by preservation of the natural form of the tree trunk, within explicit boundaries. The general, squared form intensifies the artificial feeling, and at the same time keeps the memory of the material”.
