hydromechanical forming shapes reflective stainless-steel sculptural objects

SARAH NAGHAWI DEBUTS HYDROMECHANICALLY FORMED STEEL OBJECTS

Presented at Amman Design Week 2026, JAWF is an experimental design collection by Jordanian designer Sarah Naghawi that investigates the plastic deformation of stainless steel through hydromechanical forming. Marking the initial application of this industrial fabrication technique within Jordan’s design sector, the project manipulates sheet metal through the mechanics of positive and negative hydraulic pressure, testing the material limits of steel beyond conventional stamping or cold-rolling methods.

HYDRAULIC PRESSURE REDISTRIBUTES STAINLESS-STEEL MEMBRANES

Derived from the Arabic word for an inner chamber or protected cavity, JAWF by designer Sarah Naghawi treats the internal void as an architectural condition defined by displaced matter. The fabrication process introduces hydraulic fluid pressure into welded sheet assemblies, allowing internal forces to inflate, buckle, and displace the metal skin. As the material yields, concave and convex profiles develop as reciprocal structural conditions. The resulting reflective steel volumes permanently retain the deformation traces and stress concentrations applied during the hydraulic expansion, yielding self-supporting enclosures where the deformed metallic skin functions simultaneously as structural shell, envelope, and functional interior.

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project info:

name: JAWF | جَوْف
designer: Sarah Naghawi | @studiosarahnaghawi

photographer: ASPIRE Ali Saadi Photography  | @aspire_photo

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