Belgian designer Maarten de Ceulaer presented the Grids series, a luminous design project that blends art, craftmanship and 2.0 LED tecnology.  A undulating wood plank filled with an elaborate electrical LEDs circuit fluctuates in the room hanging from the ceiling or streching along the wall like a surface of light that can be programmed from a computer.

The project was presented at DesignMiami/ by design and art dealer Victor Hunt.

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Grids Serie is milled in the top and bottom of solid wood planks, allowing them to be bent in fluid 3-dimensional curves. They subsequently are filled with an elaborate electrical circuit, connecting hundreds of LEDs.

Hand-crafted from a beautiful natural material, the wooden planks can be plugged into a computer and the movement of the light can be programmed.

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They cyborg-like Grid Serie, illuminating surfaces seem to come from a virtual reality; their liquid lines are reminiscent 3D-modelling software. To freeze the shape and solidify the piece, the grids are filled up with resin.

During our research, we discovered the Swiss company Dukta, which has been working on techniques to make wood flexible for many years. Together with their production company Schneider, they have given me great technical assistance during the development of this project.

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Photos: courtesy of Maarten De Ceulaer.