Burr

Published on June 3rd, 2011

location: Belgrade | size:4m2 | status:complete

Some plants have burrs, prickly flowers with outer bracts ending in hooks. After the flower head dries, the hooked bracts will attach to humans and animals in order to transport the entire seed head. The interesting bit here is the connection between the flower and the environment which happens via tentacle-like bracts. Imagine now, related but quite a different situation, if these bracts may be informed to find the most suitable way to connect with the given environment and if their growth and anchoring would be a defining force behind the flower form. Any such form would then come into being as a result of the real-time adaptation process. Its constitution would accurately correspond to what is found in its surroundings; and if one could remove its surroundings with the magical wand, the form would then represent the accurate memory of that space. This is what we tried to achieve with the project. At first formless piece of textile equipped with tentacles is suspended in the air. The structure is then starched in a form-finding process, according to available space and anchoring points. In the final stage epoxy resin adhesives are used to stiffen the canvas and to achieve structurally autonomous shape. The project is done for the promotional purpose of Ceresit, Henkel Building Systems at 2011 Mikser Festival with the help of students form University of Belgrade.



More images on our flicker page.



credits///design: 4of7///Milica Tasic, Andjela Karabaševic, Milutin Cerovic, Djordje Stojanovic ///assembly team: Bogdan Obradovic,  Ana Popovic, Milica Voštic, Dušan  Popovic, Nevena Balalic, Sonja Rajic, Monika Jelic, Kristina Manolev, Mina Miladinovic, Ana Tmušic, Stanislava Predojevic, Dušan Stojanovic, Bojan Šuput, Ružica Jovanovic ///photo: Sale Prijatelj ///music: Jarboli – Osloni se /// support: Lorencic Bauservis, and Ceresit Building Systems