wood casting by hilla shamia

‘wood casting’ by hilla shamia

israel-based product designer hilla shamia has always been interested with the imperfections within controlled products. on show during milan design week 2012, ‘wood casting’ is made from a whole tree trunk that enabled shamia to preserve the natural form of the piece while still having distinct boundaries in its creation. the square shape allows a sense of artificiality while leaving the memory of the material. molten aluminum is poured directly onto the wooden the surface which burns the exterior. the plank is then cut lengthwise and inserted with  a frame to define its final structure.

the casting process is accompanied with high heat, flames and smoke. when the metal is cooled down and the mold breaks apart, the furniture piece reveals the dark border between the hot metal and wood. the object is a result of its process which outlines the materials, enabling us to observe the leakage of aluminum and the carbonized wood which is frozen in time. similar to nature, the final produce is unique, where no two pieces are identical. the incompleteness and randomness give the product its aesthetic value.

console and stool

  stool made of cape lilac wood and aluminium

melted aluminum and dry wood

liquid aluminum

aluminum reacting with wood

the casting process with high heat, flames and smoke

a family of cypress wood

a whole tree trunk

preserving the natural form while still having clear boundaries

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