Wood Storm: A Desktop Installation by Naai-Jung Shih

Award-Winning Design Captures the Turbulence of a Storm

The concept of 'Wood Storm' originated from the rolling configuration of a storm cloud. The designer aimed to capture and freeze the tumbling dynamics of a storm into a solid form. The lights and shadows, constantly switching, are now substantiated by a piece of rolling wood curtain that can be set up on any flat surface with lights cast from below. The individual linear wood or bamboo elements create a marching effect, while the intermediate layout allows viewers to perceive the depth of space within a storm.

The installation's unique properties lie in its ability to represent the tumbling nature of a storm cloud. The U-shaped transparent base is selected purposely to make the storm look like it's floating and expanding in the air. This design differs from others due to its warm touch, achieved by using a wood curtain to represent the turbulence of air.

'Wood Storm' is a result of meticulous design realization technology. Two levels of deployment were applied to create a typical vocabulary for the curtain surface by axial twist and circular roll. The smaller width of the curtain was selected purposely to enable the void channels opened up from different orientations. The size of the installation is 30cm(W) x 43cm(H) x 30cm(D).

Despite being a static display, the installation offers interaction by guiding the line of sight around it. The viewers are encouraged to seek for the beginning or end point as they experience the storm. The project, which started in 2015 in Taipei, took about a month of intensive work to assemble the wood curtain in 2017.

The most challenging part of the design process was creating a twist vocabulary that let the edges and bodies of the curtain be self-supported. The curtain, although a personal favorite of the designer, was not the first choice due to its insufficient stiffness to show the tension of flow. The final choice was a curtain of 12 cm wide in two threads, with each linear bamboo element being 2mm in diameter.

'Wood Storm' was awarded Platinum in A' Fine Arts and Art Installation Design Award in 2018. This award recognizes world-class, exceptional, and highly innovative designs that showcase unmatched professionalism, contribute to societal wellbeing, and make the world a better place.