Dezeen Magazine

Studio Dror installs huge wine-rack-shaped sculpture in New Zealand vineyard

New York designer Dror Benshetrit has created a geometric sculpture at Brancott Estate's Marlborough vineyards in New Zealand, which matches a wine rack he has developed for the brand.

Studio Dror's installation imitates the vineyards of Brancott Estate

The Studio Dror founder first unveiled his design for the Under/standing sculpture on Dezeen, in late 2015.

Now complete, the permanent installation is composed of 52 individual weathering steel components. These components interlock when placed upright, expanding from a flat matrix into an eight-metre-tall, three-dimensional gridded lattice.

Studio Dror's installation imitates the vineyards of Brancott Estate

"It was very obvious to me when we were there that I wanted to do something that responded to the landscape," he told Dezeen, in a movie filmed when the project was first announced.

"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."

Studio Dror's installation imitates the vineyards of Brancott Estate

Once housing a collection of sheep farms, Brancott Estate is now a world-leading vineyard, located in Marlborough, in the northeast of New Zealand's South Island. It was the first winemaker in the world to release a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.

Patrick Materman, Brancott Estate's chief winemaker, invited Benshetrit to create a sculpture that reflects the company's "artful" winemaking process.

Studio Dror's installation imitates the vineyards of Brancott Estate

The designer used the same design to create a latticed wine rack for the brand. Able to accommodate six bottles, the holder can be folded flat – just like the sculpture.

Studio Dror's installation imitates the vineyards of Brancott Estate

"The wine rack comes flat and opens up to its volumetric state the same way that the large installation does," Benshetrit previously told Dezeen. "It is about the idea of expansion and experiencing a very interesting 360-degree view that changes and shifts."

In a movie made by Dezeen, Dror Benshetrit said the sculpture was designed to respond to the landscape at the Brancott Estate vineyard

This gridded pattern is intended to reference the uniformity of the grape rows in vineyards, specifically those in the Marlborough wine-producing region.

The use of Corten steel allows the sculpture to weather naturally, further blending into its surrounding landscape as it imitates the geometric layout of the vineyard.

The designer used the same design to create a latticed wine rack that can be folded flat – just like the sculpture

The name, Under/standing, is derived from a statement made by American architect Buckminster Fuller, who believed that in order to fully understand something, one has to built it, and then stand up under it.

For job opportunities at Studio Dror, visit their company profile on Dezeen Jobs.