The “ Marbella” Started as a material study and at the same time evolved into experiential research, playing with material that produces a deceptive and unexpected experience by using materials that disguise its true character.
Once we are born, we are exposed daily to the various materials around us, and we will quickly learn their different properties and characteristics. Our personal and collective memory is also sensory and contains cultural connections to matter and form. In other words, over the years we will learn to associate materials with experiences. But what happens when you come across materials that behave differently from what we expect?
While working on her final project, there were two guidelines. One, was the desire to do material research and not use existing material whose properties are familiar to us, with the interest of developing anonymous material without the fear of decoding its visual properties and decoding only after using and experimenting with the product.
The second is the use of rigid language by the use of soft materials, which enhances the difference between the visibility and the real feeling that is gained when using the product.
At the same time as to the desire to break conventions on what a chair archetype looks like.
Ortal turned to the area where the product is not defined as a seat, and the first impression is the one that defines it.
After in-depth research, Ortal developed a silicone-based material that simulates marble / stone with softness and flexibility. And designed it inspired by the shape and form of stones / marble, and transmits stiffness to these materials.
The decision to create an object that, at first glance, does not tell us what its role is in space, and the user can pass by it many times until he decides to sit on it, but once he has examined the properties of the material, the user is expected to surprise, and he will actually sink into an incredibly soft and comfortable seat. Stemmed from a desire to produce a multi-sensory experience that causes us to rethink what we think and know.
