Sleek and stylish furnishings abound at imm Cologne, but we're more interested in the innovative, odd, and freakish side of the spectrum. That's why our attention went to the fair's [D3] design competition, a veritable forum for new and emerging talents, clever constructs, and sheer experimentation. This year's award went to young Dutch designer Jólan van der Wiel, creator of the "Gravity Stool." Its legs are formed from molten plastic mixed with iron filings, extruded using a fixture of three magnets van der Wiel invented during his final year at Amsterdam's Gerrit Rietveld Academie. Three legs emerge from the goo like Han Solo from the carbonite in random “organic shapes that are so typical of nature itself,” according to Wiel. And we fully agree, because they kind of remind us of spelunking. "Cave of Forgotten Furniture,"anyone?
To see the dramatic process, click Gravity Stool: the movie, below.