vinyl records hover in oscar olsson’s fully automatic, wall-mounted turntable ‘disco volante’
the modern turntable has a tonearm housed within the colored bar mounted on the wall and a framework made of machined sober steel.
‘disco volante’ is a wall-mounted concept turntable
Oscar Olsson imagines a fully automatic, wall-mounted turntable for his concept statement piece, Disco Volante. He no longer sees vinyl record players as objects that take up space in someone’s living room but as a foldable piece broken down into individual elements. It’s both for aesthetic and functional reasons, starting with the hinge that can fold the turntable down to save space. There are two main parts that make up the identity of Disco Volante. First, its tonearm is housed within the colored bar mounted on the wall. Then, its framework is made of machined sober steel, juxtaposing the saturated shade of the tonearm’s casing.
Oscar olsson’s vinyl record player that’s fully automatic
Oscar Olsson’s concept Disco Volante is fully automatic, too. Owners place their vinyl record on the semi-translucent platter and switch on the wall-mounted turntable using the buttons found along the bar. Then, the tonearm swings out on its own and plants its needle onto the record. Tracks play, and to protect the vinyl records from launching themselves off the platform, an elastic-like string encircling the platter secures them. When the record’s done, the owners can unlatch the lock from the side of the bar and fold down the platter onto the wall. The industrial designer has yet to reveal where the speakers are, but they may be hidden within the colored bar mounted on the wall.
Custom colors for the bar attached to the wall
Deconstructing the classic and typical design of a turntable inspired Oscar Olsson to imagine his concept of a fully automatic and wall-mounted Disco Volante. Because he wants his work to become a statement piece, the bar attached to the wall can wear custom colors too, like green or yellow. Machining sober steel for its framework gives a rigid foundation to the turntable, which may be needed since it seems to hover on the wall.
For the industrial designer, the molded, funky plastic tonearm housing is a way for him to play the game of contrast between it and the steel body. ‘The overall proportions and composition were also well thought out to aesthetically create a well-balanced architecture,’ adds Oscar Olsson, who has yet to announce production plans for Disco Volante.
