Royal College of Art Graduate Morten Grønning Nielsen received his MA in Innovation Design Engineering this year. One of his projects certainly places emphasis on the word “innovation;” his “Happaratus” project is a glove which allows the wearer to shape hard, rigid materials by hand.
From the college:
A ‘power-glove’ that makes it possible to sculpt hard materials, such as ceramic, wood or concrete, as if they were soft like clay.
The subtractive tool facilitates incomparable versatility and creative freedom, which makes it highly desirable for many professional and avocational makers. Developed in close collaboration with craft experts from various disciplines including sculptors, designers, stone carvers, model makers and tinkerers.
The journey featured a series of conceptual experiments and mechanical explorations that helped uncover the potential for disrupting existing tools and work flows. The result puts the maker in direct contact with the material, investigates the changing nature of the objects we create, and explore how the new opportunities would manifest themselves in contemporary craft.
Watch the Happaratus in action in the Dezeen video included in this post.
We’d like to know what our readers think about this. Our immediate thoughts upon viewing the glove in action were “this is really sci-fi” and “this seems like a great way to saw into your free hand.” Don’t let that dissuade you, however. We all suffer for art.
Love contemporary ceramic art + design? Let us know in the comments.
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