We really like the concept behind this great project from designer Johannes Hemann. Johannes recently contacted us to let us know what he's been working on and was kind enough to let us in on the background story behind the creation of each unique product. We couldn't help but share, so here's his explanation...

"The aim of my project was to create forms through storm winds – not the destructive forces within a storm – like broken trees after a storm, which we all have in our minds whilst thinking of a storm – but they should be representations of the strength and energy a storm bears within itself. More like dunes shaped by winds; ice formations created by cold and water. The feeling of negative we experience whilst hearing “storm”, would change to a more positive image in our mind-gallery.
Out of several approaches I chose not to follow a simple “wind channel” idea, but focus on the irregular winds within a storm. Wind channels cause regular winds, the results being dune-like, streamlined shapes which play on our sense of harmony and might already be a bit common to our eyes, as we know them well; for example, from car design.
As a result of my theoretical studies I wanted to follow the idea of creating shapes which incorporate tension; shapes which do not fit our regular images, asymmetrical shapes, things “on the edge”, which induce a tension not only by the way they are made but through their shape itself.

Following this idea I created storm rooms/ boxes in which I released storms by feeding in high pressure air – from one side only or from two. Before starting the storm, the boxes were filled with material, one at a time and inside I placed a “perturbation” item which should be the base for the “picture of the storm” or the storm’s "product". My hope was that around the perturbation, forms would emanate – hopefully they would be positively irregular.
The material I started with was Styrofoam, this was followed by trials with chipped wood, cork, plastic granulates, foam, andothers. The shapes are formed by wind energy, but to support them I added either heat or glue, depending on the material used.

The storm and the course of events in a storm is the base of the project: The silence before the storm. The material lies on the bottom of the box – at a standstill, silence – then the air comes in and the storm begins, The energy is transferred from the wind to the material - the wind stops, the form has been shaped – the silence after the storm sets in. The storm energy is now visible in the shape. Each piece is unique; none can be re-made, at least not with the same process. Each storm finds its own expressions.

To limit human control in the design process, to create forms not by influencing to the shape, but by influencing the factors creating the shape, is a way to receive forms which would not be created in a normal design process. So my project finally became more of a form finding process project than an actual design solution for a specific problem. Thus forms are generated similar to modern computer generating, but nature-generated like taking a step backwards to move forward.

The difference in each piece is not only my aim, but also part of the project itself, as it follows the idea of differences in each storm, as well as uniqueness in nature.
But my goal was yet to create things with a purpose, so I chose perturbations which might give the piece in progress a shape which could serve a purpose. For example I used cylinders which stood in for the sockets of a lamp, or I placed a book, a dish and glasses inside the box so a table which could hold these items would be created. A mannequin’s back gave the shape for a chair.

Still many materials are to be explored and things to be created. The process is very surprising; you never know in the first try what will happen. I have to admit that the forms processed are not always “following” the idea I have in mind whilst thinking what will happen – but this is the interesting side, and the “storm” effect of my project – that there will always be something different than you expect..."

See the storm in action here...