Dezeen Magazine

Studio Dror's installation for Brancott Estate reflects the landscape of vineyards

Movie: designer Dror Benshetrit and winemaker Patrick Materman explain how the craft of winemaking informed Studio Dror's geometric sculpture for Brancott Estate in this movie by Dezeen for the New Zealand brand.

Under/standing installation by Studio Dror for Brancott Estate

Based on a modular system developed by Studio Dror called QuaDror, the nine-metre-tall installation will consist of a series of interlocking units, which form a regular grid of diamond shapes when erected.

Benshetrit says this geometric pattern is a reference to the uniform rows of grape vines on a vineyard, which he observed on a recent trip to the Marlborough wine-producing region in New Zealand where Brancott Estate is based.

Dror Benshetrit portrait
Dror Benshetrit. Copyright: Dezeen

"It was very obvious to me when we were there that I wanted to do something that responded to the landscape," he explains in the movie, which was filmed at Studio Dror's offices in New York.

"It started with the idea of working with the geometry that we've been playing with for quite some time called QuaDror and really looking at how to multiply this structure in a way that corresponds to the actual grid of the winery."

Under/standing installation by Studio Dror for Brancott Estate

The permanent sculpture, which will be erected on Brancott Vineyard in 2016, will be made of Corten steel that weathers naturally over time. It will arrive on site flat-packed, before being pulled open by a crane into its final form.

Patrick Materman portrait
Patrick Materman. Copyright: Dezeen

"I took an instant love for what Dror proposed," says Brancott Estate chief winemaker Patrick Materman. "It reflected the vines – the uniformity of rows across the vineyard – but it was also something that started from the ground and actually raised up."

He adds: "To me it showed the transformation of the vines on the landscape, but also of the way we make wine."

Under/standing installation by Studio Dror for Brancott Estate

Called Under/standing, Benshetrit says the installation was also informed by a comment made by American architect Buckminster Fuller.

"It is inspired by Buckminster Fuller's statement that you should stand underneath your work to understand it better and to perceive it in a different way," he explains.

Brancott Estate vineyard

The vineyard where the sculpture will be erected was transformed from a collection of sheep farms into a world-leading wine region by Brancott Estate in the 1970s. The brand planted the world's first Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc there in 1975, which Materman claims "transformed the New Zealand wine industry."

He believes there are strong parallels between the disciplines of design and winemaking.

Brancott Estate vineyard

"Both of them incorporate art and science," he says. "From a winemaking point of view, it's about understanding the land and actually converting a raw ingredient into something which is beautiful and thought-provoking."


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"I see the same with design. It's about creating something that intrigues people."

Under/standing installation by Studio Dror for Brancott Estate

This movie was produced by Dezeen for Brancott Estate. All images are courtesy of Brancott Estate, unless otherwise stated.