nendo's delicate tic tac toe board game turns into a sculptural piece at a finger's touch

nendo’s tic tac toe board game

nendo introduces its new design dubbed ‘uplift’, made using high-precision metal machining technique; it’s a delicate tic tac toe board game that is activated at a finger’s touch. it takes shape as a seamless square block made of warp- and wear-resistant steel that was carved out to form the O and X shapes. with a fine touch, the flat solid surface is transformed into a sculptural object, as the shapes gently slide out from the body.

each square is carved out with an O and X shape

uplift based on a subtraction design

nendo (found here) sought to create a design utilizing subtraction methods, with the board itself cut in pieces; the material they chose— which is originally used for knives — was wire-cut with an electric discharge machine to form its parts, fitting within an error margin of 0.005 mm.

the game is played in its familiar way; the board is placed between two players; both push the parts within the metal frame and each one sees the opponent’s parts coming out. the result is a combination of protruding and sinking X and O shapes.

emerging as a sculpture

slide-out on a finger’s touch

appearing as holes that sink into the metal body

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made of warp- and wear-resistant steel

the seamless surface is transformed into an art piece

metal solid block

 

project info:

name: uplift

designers: nendo

client: ichido°
collaborator: jisu yun
photography: akihiro yoshida | @ak_yoshida

available at nendo house