seven sliding cases

Fluoropolymer is a molecule produced by compressing and heating granulated fluorite, which is a natural mineral.

It is characterized with unique durable qualities such as high wear resistance and antifouling properties, therefore its appearance stays undamaged. It is commonly used in the medical industry and joints for robots thanks to its extremely low-friction quality. Although very high-tech, due to its weight and warmth this material carries a natural and emotional feeling of touch.

The search of a new application for this material and its special qualities has led to the design of this collection. When closed, all white cases have the same sphere shape of 65mm in diameter, but slight indentations are located differently on each of them. These indentation marks serve as a clue as to how the boxes open, and each case slides open in its unique way revealing the jewelry placed within.

01. A case that slides open freely like a joystick
02. A case that turns open with weight when held and turned over
03. A case that will open when pulled up, and slowly close when released
04. A case that the part of the sphere slides out as if it is laterally displaced
05. A case that is split in half by lifting the case, and opens by using the other half as a weight
06. A case that rolls open with the shift of gravity by its uneven wall thickness
07. A case that four “sliced” layers slide open obliquely like spreading cards on a table

Instead of focusing on designing objects, this project utilizes this unique material in order to design new types of movements.

Client:
Blanc Bijou
Collaborator:
Shun Naruse
Yuta Umezawa
Shimpei Mitani (movie)
Photographer:
Akihiro Yoshida
2018.04