decapitated swan floats are designed to 'kill off' instagram influencers this summer

based on the ubiquitous swan pool floats that have filled instagram feeds over the past couple of summers, lukas bentel and MSCHF have created ‘decapitated floats’ to poke fun at the influx of the notorious social media ‘influencer’. the swan is a fully decapitated pool inflatable. the head can rest nicely on the body or float idly nearby. large enough for one, two, or even three people, the head and body come together in the same package. conceived as a social commentary on the influencer role, the design team figured: ‘what better way to kill the trend than to literally decapitate it?’

decapitated float in the long island sound

all images courtesy of lukas bentel

the swan was initially designed and prototyped last year by modifying an existing float. there were a number of design considerations but none as important as designing the neck and head. the team went through multiple versions that used everything from magnets to velcro as an attachment method but finally settled on keeping them completely separate while using a weighted plastic disc in the base of the head to allow it to rest on top of the body.

decapitated float on the beach

designed by new york-based artist and designer lukas bentel and internet-based MSCHF studio, the team are now looking to move production to a factory that already produces similar floats. stay tuned for more decapitated floats, as in addition to the swan, they now have a unicorn and flamingo float in the works…

detachable swan head

swan neck stump

decapitated floats product shot

decapitated floats product shot

decapitated floats product shot

decapitated floats poster

swan illustration

swan float with the designer lukas bentel

project info:

project name: ‘decapitated pool floats‘

design: lukas bentel and MSCHF

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lynne myers | designboom