F.A.D.S + fujiki studio: aqua scape in the orangery, england

‘aqua-scape in the orangery’ by F.A.D.S + fujiki studio,west yorkshire, englandimage © ryumei fujikiall images courtesy of F.A.D.S

the orangery’s version of  ‘aqua-scape’ by F.A.D.S + fujiki studio is the second iteration in a series of outdoor installations centered around the explorationof structure and design in nature. the form pushes the capabilities of state-of-the art materials, in particular plastics, to create structure out of pliable sheets. an expanse of transparent polycarbonate, a weak material in sheet form is immediately made structural by folding, a concept explored thoroughly in the art of origami. once again the designers used sine-like waves that meet at their crests to create curved spines across the form. the object itself remains ‘boneless’ but appropriates the structural methodology of a shrimp in that a transparent shell wraps around a soft core of woven polyethylene fibers.this inner skin allows the form of the body to find its own resonance in space.

originally floating on water at the echigo-tsumari exchange center in japan, this second version was re-imagined when beam gallery requested the work for the green oasis of the orangery. even at half the scale of the first floating ‘aqua-scape’ prototype, the piece holds it’s own in the grassy context and continues the concept of a plastic form finding relevance in nature.  

while the first version of aqua-scape floated on water, the second installation makes use of the greenery in the orangery image © ryumei fujiki

the plastic double skin creates a space two spatial conditions for the user

image © ryumei fujiki

image © porl medlock

the compression and expansion of the ridges creates structureimage © ryumei fujiki

the material and form allow users to interact with the object in various waysimage © ryumei fujiki

image © ryumei fujiki

image © ryumei fujiki

LED lights are embedded between the skins of the object to highlight the poetic possibilities of plastics

image © ryumei fujiki

the designers borrowed folding methods from the art of origami for the rigid outer layer

image © ryumei fujiki

image © ryumei fujiki