As our lives reach frenzied peaks around the end of the year and the start of a new one, restful and healing design is always a welcome respite. DEOND, a studio co-founded by Ila Columbo and Ross Lovegrove, is proud to present Enfold. This pavilion fuses the physical and digital to produce an environment that is calming along many different facets of human physiology and psychology. Enfold was recently unveiled at the d3 Design District during Dubai Design Week.
The structure, made of repeating motifs of cardboard vertices, allows a glowing light to enter, the softness offering a sense of stillness. The slight blue cast of the diffused light, as opposed to the warmth of the sun coming in from above, allows for quiet reflection within the space. The more brilliant overhead light, itself a diffusion of the sun, features triangles in organic assortments. These formations strongly resemble a dappled forest floor, light filtering through the leaves to eventually end up gracing the ground. The triangles do a good job of tricking the eye, making sure the dappled effect is apparent. Specific light patterns, as well as different color therapies, have been proven to reduce stress and inflammation within the body.
The centerpiece of the pavilion is the HUG (Holistic Unified Garment) bodysuit, an AI-infused ‘second skin.’ Silvery wires hold the pieces in space, the bodysuit effect only apparent when viewed from a certain angle. These unique supports offer visual lightness, the HUG seemingly suspended in space, with only wind to fluctuate between the pieces. Utilizing natural forms, the HUG combines AI technology and 3D printing to stimulate triggering points in the body. Eastern treatment techniques fused with Western approaches to science and technology allow us to envision new tools to treat anxiety and quiet the mind.
Ila Columbo asks with this project, “What if technological acceleration could give us a chance to become closer to nature – to return to what has been neglected and forgotten? How can we envision embedded devices that prevent physical anxiety, acting as a protective, healing second skin? How should we merge technology and nature to bridge?” These questions are ever more important as technology embeds itself into our daily routines, an inescapable eventuality of modern life.
Biomimicry is present in many aspects of Enfold, the outside facade inspired by a spiky seedling, hiding its nourishing cargo within. Once inside, the blaring sun is subdued by trickles of light, and the cool glow of the ambient light from the facade is a welcome respite. We can recognize ancient forms within the printed ridges of the HUG bodysuit, immediately expressive of organic matter. Many classes of aquatic creature are represented here, small shells and exoskeletons allowing evolution to do the work of perfect design.
The Enfold pavilion is indeed calming, utilizing light therapies and modern technology to evoke a sense of quiet and rest. As we consider the external to be a reflection of the internal, Enfold subverts this idea. To create spaces for a quiet mind, we must first foster a quiet mind ourselves. This collaboration helps us design more holistic spaces, those that are centered around healthy human spirit, emotions, and community.
For more on DEOND, please visit their website at deond.com.
Photography by Deed Studio.
