Milan 2012: the 400 wooden slats of this table top by Mauricio Affonso allow it to expand, contract and fan out into a full circle.
It has a birch base with gate legs that fold out or tuck away as it changes shape.
The Fan Table is on show at Ventura Lambrate as part of Paradise, a show of work from the Royal College of Art in London.
The Ventura Lambrate design district is open from 17 to 22 April. Download the free map and guide here and see all our stories about Ventura Lambrate 2012 here.
Here are some more details from Affonso:
Mauricio Affonso’s Fan Table will be exhibited during the Milan Furniture Fair in Ventura Lambrate as part of the Paradise exhibition organised by the Royal College of Art, 17-22 of April, 2012.
The Fan Table explores the role of tables as the infrastructure for social interaction. The surface can freely expand, contract and revolve in an effortless fan like movement of the hand.
Mauricio Affonso is interested in designing with a deep understanding of the situations in which furniture find themselves in the world. In this case, he was driven by the idea of investigating the reciprocity between table and context.“Furniture can be quite limited sometimes,” explains Affonso, “I wanted to move away from the table as an static object and create a self-transforming table that can spontaneously adapt itself to play a new role in the fabric of a situation.”
Hence, the Fan Table can be quickly transformed into an array of different shapes and sizes to suit its context or use.
The table surface is created from over 400 slats that rests on a geometric base both in which are constructed out of birch wood.
Paradise features the work of Royal College of Art students selected by Professor and Head of Design Products Programe Tord Boontje and tutor Onkar Kular.
“PARADISE contemplates the discovery of something or somewhere more wondrous. Rallied by the desire for change and compelled by a dissatisfaction with the present, RCA students author their own atlases of Paradise, landscaped by different paths in the quest for a better future.”
Brazilian-born Canadian designer Mauricio Affonso began his career after earning a degree in Industrial Design from OCAD University. While based in Toronto he also worked as Creative Lead for home accessories company Umbra.
Mauricio has shown his work internationally and has been featured in many major design publications worldwide. He has also participated in numerous design workshops led by acclaimed designers such the Campana Brothers and Patricia Urquiola to name a few.
Mauricio has recently relocated to London where he is pursuing a Master of Arts degree from the renowned Design Products program at the Royal College of Art.
wait a second where is my fork? oh sorry its on the floor again
The circular option seems a bit too much, but the rectangular configurations might be more practical.
依照人數需求，更改大小，真是太聰明了！
Sculptural and functional this a a wonderful piece of design. The array of different shapes are arresting and truly make you consider the role of the table in relation to social interaction.
The Llustre Team. LLUSTRE.com
hopefully the people who use it aren't messy eaters
I'm a big fan.
@ rotring.
You can use a table cloth or placemat, not only to stop you wandering fork, but also for hygiene.
I found it inventive as much as unpractical, due to its ephemeral quality.
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It often happens with plurifunctional objects that at the end they are not useful as any of the object they should replace, as someone would expected to be.
this is no dining table. you can't even push a chair up to the thing, in any of the configurations. and this concept was presented 7 years ago at the ICFF. it's called the Xpand system and IT was inventive. this is clumsy
cute, and the tables not bad either.
I think its a brilliant idea for an outdoor table and it can be easily stored. Losing your fork shouldn’t be a problem, just place a table cloth on it. Obviously this was designed just for convenience, not to be placed as a centerpiece in your dining room.
Everyone knows how furniture can sometimes be too bulky or immovable or tiresome. On the other hand, the table’s impermanence and easily changeable form leads one to wonder about its stability or durability. Is the structure firm and how much weight can it withstand? The comment by Jason says this may not be a new concept. I wonder if this is true. Using birch and making it flexible and transformable, I’m curious if the design and concept would work on other objects perceived to be permanent in form, such as a chess set. The design would not be able to be as porous as this one though, if not the chess pieces would be in danger of falling through and going missing. That might be a limitation to the possibility.