Exhibition at ZKM Pavilion 2025
From this experience, I tried to draw inspiration—not limiting myself to what can be done in a CAD computer program but experimenting hands-on with how a sheet of paper behaves when folded in various ways. Just as paper folding was easy to access and limitless in form, sheet metal bending is easily accessible to a small-scale designer. The collection is a direct transfer of my paper models.
Unlike modern rust prevention methods like galvanizing or zinc coating, blackening is environmentally friendly and produces minimal waste. Steel blackening aligns with the low-budget folding technique in a way that it is also achievable without industrial machinery. By carefully monitoring the temperature and the amount of linseed oil applied to the sheet metal, a variety of finishes can be created. Colors ranging from blue, yellow, and green can be seen in the resulting oxidation layer. With each application of linseed oil, the surface becomes darker until it eventually results in a deep black color. Underneath the black surface, the previous hues of blue, yellow, and green still shimmer through. Steel blackening aligns with the low budget folding technique in a way that it is also archiveable
without industrial machinery.