A table that comes to life through sunlight
Designer Umut Yamac has always liked the idea that an object can have more than one function. With that thought he designed a table that comes to life through sunshine. He combined two functions that have never been combined before: a sundial and an outdoor table. What is the story behind it and how does it work? We talked to Umut to get all the details on the new Sundial Table.
You take inspiration from nature for all kinds of projects. Why?
With all of them there’s something interesting about creating a connection, interaction, or movement to bring products to life in some way; to animate them. In the case of the Sundial Table it’s about the interaction with the sunlight, which brings it to life and makes it less of a static table and object.
There’s always a shared approach to create a dynamic that responds to the user and the environment in some way. If an object can be an active ingredient in that, then for me that is super interesting.
Your work is often based upon the imaginary. Can you tell us more about that?
The imaginary in the sense that the objects maybe suggest another story beyond what you see! For me, the idea of having an object which is sort of playful adds another layer of experience to it. I guess the imaginary is connected with that. In the sense that you can connect with it on an emotional level, but you can also find your own connection with it.
In the case of the Sundial Table it gives you the space to take some ownership of it and make it more personal in how you define time or moments of time in your day. That personal aspect fulfills your imagination; It makes it your own. I like the idea that an object has its own life, which gets fulfilled by the user once they start using it.
How did you come up with the idea of the Sundial Table?
I wanted to look at ways to make a functional table have an additional function. But I also wanted to connect it to the outdoors, the environment, the elements, and specifically the sun. I really like the idea that in general something can have more than one function. It makes it more meaningful, but also more useful as an object and justifies its existence. It is doing something additional, something new.
Since it is an outdoor table it obviously works very well with the sun. A horizontal sundial is something which already exists. And outdoor tables already exist. But there is nothing which combines the two. There are two functions now but somehow, they fit really well together. It’s a nice way to have a reference to time whilst still using a table.
Did you encounter any struggles in realizing this idea?
I think the reason this hasn’t been done before is because horizontal sundials are very specific to where you are in the world. Your latitude, the dial, the gnomons and the vertical elements are at different angles. They’re different for every location in the world. That was the interesting challenge. How can you make it work for different locations in the world? In a way that challenge drove the design and I think generated something really interesting, which can be adjusted depending on where you are in the world.
How does the Sundial Table work?
The top gnomon is adjustable depending on your latitude, and then the table has a whole series of markings which relate to different parts of the world. It’s one design to work in multiple places.
On the table itself the markings allow you to mark your own notion of time. Using these series of pins the user can customize their table to mark specific moments that they feel are important or relevant to them, their life or their schedule. It is not about time in the sense of timekeeping, because we all have watches or phones for that. It’s more about time in the sense of connection to the outside and moments that are important or meaningful to you.
How can people experience the relevancy of the table without sun?
In Western-Europe, most of the time it is not sunny, but occasionally you do have sunny days. In a way the lack of sun gives the Sundial Table a dormant life. A dormant life which can explode or come alive at any moment, depending on what’s happening with the weather.
This is the same concern with a regular sundial, isn’t it? Every sundial is dormant most of the time, but still connected to its environment, waiting to be activated. Just like the Sundial Table, a sundial is ready to come alive at any moment.
Would you like to know more about Umut Yamac? Visit his website: umutyamac.com
Designs by Umut Yamac
SUNDIAL TABLE
US$343.00
Experience time in a way that is meaningful to you with the Weltevree Sundial Table. This unique combination between a coffee table and a sundial comes to life through sunlight. The Universal Sundial works anywhere in the world and connects the coffee table to the outdoors and the sun. Designed by Umut Yamac, the Sundial Table exists in RAL 1002 and RAL 6013, with a RAL 1013 table top. Personalize the table and use the included pins to pin the moments that are important to you. For example, pin your coffee and lunch breaks or the time your partner comes home from work. Because the position of the shadow tells you what time it is, you live less by the time and more in the moment. These moments are in agreement with your natural rhythm: the rhythm of the sun. Find out more about how the Sundial Table works in this story.
SUNDIAL TABLE
US$343.00
Experience time in a way that is meaningful to you with the Weltevree Sundial Table. This unique combination between a coffee table and a sundial comes to life through sunlight. The Universal Sundial works anywhere in the world and connects the coffee table to the outdoors and the sun. Designed by Umut Yamac, the Sundial Table exists in RAL 1002 and RAL 6013, with a RAL 1013 table top. Personalize the table and use the included pins to pin the moments that are important to you. For example, pin your coffee and lunch breaks or the time your partner comes home from work. Because the position of the shadow tells you what time it is, you live less by the time and more in the moment. These moments are in agreement with your natural rhythm: the rhythm of the sun. Find out more about how the Sundial Table works in this story.