TIFF award 2012: raindrops xylophone by heesung baek

‘raindrops xylophone’ by heesung baek

raindrops make an impressive sound. touching down on trees, leaves, rocks, soil, into mountain streams, they produce a delicate composition of music within our natural environment. but, within our built urban space full of metals, concretes and glass, their sound becomes sharper and more monotone. ‘raindrops xylophone’ by south korea-born france-based designer heesung baek is composed of three different types of wooden blocks which have metallic resonance tubes within. as raindrops fall upon the object, we are entertained by the music of the rain, playing various tones due to the diverse sizes and thicknesses of the resonance tubes, bringing a serenity and calm within the city. built within the furniture piece are pots which allow one to plant small flowers.

the ‘raindrops xylophone’ received the honorable mention TIFF award 2012, whose theme ‘inside outside’ celebrates designs in which aesthetics and the environment share an equal role. 3025 designers from 87 different countries participated in the international design competition, which was organized by designboom in collaboration with the thailand department of export promotion (DEP), ministry of commerce, royal thai government, and TIFF – thailand international furniture fair.

also earning top honors at the TIFF 2012 award ceremony in bangkok were ‘koh seating system’ by israeli designer eyal soodai in the category of ‘hotel and hospitality, ‘bamboo windsor chair’ by bo reudler and olav bruin in the category of ‘home interiors’ and ‘A-bed’ by chinese-born finland-based huang chao in the category of ‘pool and patio .

the competition catalogue illustrating the 100 shortlisted entries is available for press, VIP and professional visitors at the TIFF – thailand international furniture fair in bangkok. you can also browse the online version of the catalogue here. see the original TIFF award 2012 call for entry.

metallic resonance tubes within vary in size and thickness, so that when raindrops fall upon it they offer a delicate sounds