Industrial Design, Israeli Designers ga studio | holistic sand and then some

the first time i laid my eyes on a ga studio archaeological’s creation was on meira sitton‘s earthy instagram feed (shout out to the wicked art directors craft & bloom and mr. photographer extraordinaire, tal brushel).
anyways, back to nitzan shalev and michal elzur, the duo behind ga.
at the beginning of this year, the two started working on their NOT IN MOLD.
the first two questions they asked themselves were: what if our everyday products were more alive and constantly evolving? and what if each one was a bit different with its own unique characteristics? with that mysterious mindset they started working on their ever evolving creations.
“we are used to buying standardized identical products that are created in a mold. we buy them when they are in their best shape. we take them home and from that point they start to deteriorate.
in nature there is no point in time that is final or “finished”. there is a constant movement and an infinite change.
NOT IN MOLD puts the spotlight on the process. the objects are born from ever changing sand molds that give each object a unique personality.”
the thing that really got me was the realization that nitzan and michal’s sandy journey started out of a desire to create practical but unique objects for their own home. they had a sketchbook filled with sketches and while trying to think of accessible materials to start with, working with sand seemed like a logic idea.
“sand is an amazing material in that way that it allows for a relatively accurate copy of a shape (like a foot print on a sandy beach) and it can be used time and time again by creating complex patterns. sand castings are usually used for production of aluminum parts. we loved the fact that with all the qualities of copying form, it also allows us to get out of the mold and outside the box”. they realized that without really thinking about it, they created a low-tech 3D printer.
so… they draw the shape of an object in the sand, then they deepen it. after that, they pour white cement inside it and voila!
nitzan and michal never really know what will be the end result but the rush that goes through their bodies the minute they “rescue” the cement, is always an exciting one.
i don’t know what about you, but i sure am excited to see where this “playing with sand” phenomenon is headed.
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instagram.com/ga.holistic