Nendo’s Wondrous Shelf Is A Kaleidoscope That Holds Books
The Japanese wiz kids are at it again, with a bookshelf that could out-op art Bridget Riley.
The master illusionists over at Nendo are up with a new furniture concept that could turn even the dullest living room into a giant work of op art. Scatter Shelf is a towering bookshelf (yes, bookshelves can look like art!) with thin sheets of glossy, black acrylic stacked into an irregular grid. Inspected from different vantage points, the grid plays all sorts of freaky visual tricks; think of it as a kaleidoscope that just happens to be able to hold a whole lot of books.
So when you examine this thing head on, your books and objects look like flies trapped in a spider’s web. From the side, the acrylic adopts a transparent sheen, making your stuff appear to float in mid-air. At the same time, the grid acts like a huge distortion machine. Books dissolve into 2-D shapes and graphic outlines. A plant resembles a spatter painting. Step behind the bookshelf, and even your body morphs into a shimmery mirage. Behold: The transformative power of books!
Nendo plans to show Scatter Shelf at Carpenters Workshop Gallery, in London, during the Frieze Art Fair in October. More coverage of Nendo's Houdini-like designs here, here, here, and here.
