Marching Ants | george drakakis

Golden A' Design Award Winning Design for Street Furniture Design Category in 2014-2015.

Please welcome a friendly outdoor space occupant, Marching Ants, a study on complex continuous forms that can be achieved through the repetition of modular elements. Although the whole is not the sum of it's parts, this is as close it can be. The outcome is an object with two spatial configurations that's is fast and easy to install. This urban bench at the border of art and design, provides a comfortable and embracing seating experience and also serves as a sculptural space divider.
Three-dimensional explorations on continuity solid objects using curved fluid made of concrete forms inspired by the works of M.C. Escher on one-sided surfaces, firstly discovered by A.F. Mobius, was the starting point to introduce Marching and Relaxing Ants.
The concept idea behind this project was to totally change the common perception of an "urban bench"; now it can be perceived not only as a point of rest but also as a landmark, a space divider or an art-installation. The use of one basic element was the starting point for more complex set-ups, that is, continuity compositions of two or four units. Furthermore, another basic aspect of the design process was to keep the existing infra-structures of the city untouched. Marching Ants won't add any anchorage points to an already overcrowded with underground infra-structures urban environment. "just drop & forget" installation method ensures a trouble-free and fast installation along with minimum installation cost.
The creative challenge was and create an object that minimize installation costs, lasts long and has the ability to change its overall form over time by re-arranging the basic unit element in combinations of duets (Marching) or quartets (Relaxing Ants). Explorations and research on one-sided surfaces applied to solid objects made possible to deliver an object that converses with the terms "continuity" and "modularity" and actually solves the manufacturing difficulties that arise from a continuous solid object by the use of modularity.

george drakakis, founder of iconpoetry is anartist, who calles himself an iconpoet.
iconpoetry is a design studio that keeps practising serious fun. This is the place to design projects at the border of art and design, at the edge of reality and fantasy, constantly reminding that "Poiesis" and Poetry is one and the same, following one simple rule:

Form Follows Satis-Function. oh yeah.