studio glithero: the long drop

concept sketch of the long drop for experimentadesign 09

the long drop by studio glithero, is a work in progress and is being shown as part of the lapse in time exhibition at experimentadesign lisboa 09. it consists of a concrete table cast in a wooden pouring chute shaped like a roller coaster. standing on a ladder, buckets of liquid concrete are poured down from the uppermost part of the chute until it has set into a rock-hard state. once the wooden mould is filled, the chute is dismantled leaving a table that is forever married to its pouring channel spiraling up into the air. lazy tongues of concrete, drips and spills are frozen, precarious and organic, informed by the moment in which they happened.

the idea behind the long drop arose while studio glithero was looking for a way in which to capture the actual moment of creation within an object itself. they wanted to develop the notion of a table that would constantly be connected to the point in which it was derived.

the wooden chute before assembly

close-up of the wooden chute’s parts

the supporting stand for the chute prior to assembly

various measurements

the wooden chute assembled

the concrete fluid is combined by an electrical mixer

experimenting with colors to be used for the table

concrete casts of the chute

the long drop before pouring began

view of the long spiral drop

view up the wooden chute

sarah pouring the first round of concrete down the chute

pouring continues

tim and sarah mixing concrete

the concrete setting

second layer of concrete poured

a detail of the layers drying

the long drop completed image © designboom

the used chute and concrete mixing buckets image © designboom

the precarious drips from pouring the concrete down the chute image © designboom

a detail of the big tongues which are formed indicating the various layers of concrete that have been poured image © designboom

sarah van gameren of studio glithero portrait © designboom

tim simpson of studio glithero image © designboom