mischer'traxler: 'tioat' at DMY berlin design festival 09

darker, thinner sections indicate times of less sun, while thick, light parts represent periods of more sun
image © designboom

at this year's DMY berlin design festival 09, austrian-based studio mischer'traxler,
comprised of katharina mischer and thomas traxler, presented their 'tioat' series
('bench tiaot' and 'lamp tioat'). these pieces are the outcome of their earlier project 'idea of a tree',
a process which uses solar energy to translate the luminosity of the sun into one object a day.
the objects of the 'tioat' series are souvenirs of the days and places in which they were created.

the 'idea of a tree' machine begins when the sun rises and stops when the sun sets.
the machine pulls threads through a coloring device, glue basin and winds the threads around
a mould to create an object. the length and height, the thickness of the layers
and intensity of the colors, refer directly to the amount of sun hours present on a particular day.
the dark thin parts indicate periods when there was little sun, while sections of thick layers
and paler colors are a result of a lot of sun.

'tioat' benches are made through the 'idea of a tree' process by mischer'traxler
image © designboom

a look at the mechanics of how the machine works
image © designboom


how the thread is run through the color and glue basin
image © designboom


image © designboom


a basin of color sits on top of the machine
image © designboom