Float with the Flowers
Beam Camp, Strafford, New Hampshire, 2009
Beam Camp is a 5-week summer program for boys and girls aged 7-17 in Strafford, New Hampshire, USA. The camp cultivates hands-on skills in the fine and manual arts while exploring innovative thinking, design and the creative process. Each summer a Project Master is commissioned to design a unique large-scale collaborative endeavor that campers produce and enjoy.
The project 'Float with the Flowers' was designed for the particular location of the 'Beam Camp' within a deep forest and next to tranquil lakes. Derived from nature the idea combines two elements - water and earth. Inspired by the rose of Jericho the approach suggests a toy that transforms from a 'land use' towards a floating 'water occupancy' - the structure opens once it is pulled into the lake.
When the 'flower' rests on shore it is closed and the leaves form a protected introverted sculpture. that can be pushed around and being played with. Inside the water it revives and slowly opens until its leaves touch the water. Now the structure works like a float and can be used as swimming islands.
