When we last checked in with Jolan Van der Wiel, the Dutch designer was mixing iron filings and plastic to cast gravity-shaped furniture. This spring Van der Wiel returned, with an exhibition showing the process of sculpting with clay mixed with iron filings. And it’s bizarre.
The project is called Dragonstone — yes, just like the Game of Thrones castle — and it premiered at the Salone del Mobile in Milan this spring. The process is almost like 3D printing, in a very analogue sort of way: Using a thin-tipped pen, the sculptor applies the magnetic clay into the rough shape he’s going for — then the magnetism does the rest, pulling and pushing bits of clay into place.
It’s an utterly strange process to watch, and in truth, it seems perfectly suited for the brutal, craggy shores of Dragonstone. [Wired; Jolan Van der Wiel]