To and Fro Table

London, United Kingdom

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To and Fro Table

London, United Kingdom

Firm

Type

Government + Health ›

YEAR

2010

DESIGN STATEMENT:The to-and-fro table is designed to expand the range of communication between users through a sophisticated arrangement of material and structure. As verbal communication accounts for only a small part of how we interact, the to-and-fro table facilitates more open full body communication with certain individuals while remaining discreetly hidden to others.

Like the reciprocating back and forth of a good conversation, the table is made up of a field of delicate wooden fins that vary to-and-fro in relation to each other and interlock to form an intricate lattice that appears most transparent in the vicinity of the person sitting diagonally opposite the viewer and increasingly opaque elsewhere. While the variation of the transparency of the table leads to a more engaging interaction, it is also intended to produce a piece of furniture that actively contributes to the atmosphere of the space it is placed within by creating complex patterns of light and shadow.

The table is designed from individual components that are precisely machined on computer controlled routers, which are then hand assembled by skilled craftsmen. The table is made from solid walnut with an iron free glass top.