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17-25 October 2026

The illusion of stability

Imbalanced and alienated furniture that encourages the user for a stronger consciousness and reflection of ones own privileged comfort zones.

Hosted by AVE - Anna van Eck

This project is now archived and was part of DDW21

Event type

Exhibition

lopsided dining table
lopsided dining table
Irina Bittner
The illusion of stability expands the boundaries of product design and encourages the viewer to reflect comfort zones. While the original function of everyday objects is challenged, destabilization is used as a statement to enable orientation through self-awareness.

The illusion of stability

Imagine: Your home as your safe place has unexpectedly been destabilized. Your table is unstable, the shelf has collapsed, the wardrobe is out of balanced, burning candles tip over. How do you react? Living in the decade of change we the people have to rethink unconscious learned behavior. Irresponsible and careless actions are no longer acceptable in today's world. Still, we the people fear a real chance for the better good and remain in personal comfort. Destabilization is used as a visual statement in order to irritate and raise questions. At the same time, the created products contain solutions within their design. There is a tension between the known and the unknown, function and dysfunction, stability and instability. The users interaction is the the key element of the design. Being part of the construction of the products the peoples experience is that an imbalanced or a lost function can be actively restored by themselves. The illusion of stability presents interactive everyday products that counteract strict comfort zones and enable a stronger consciousness for reorientation and behavior change.

Lopsided dining table

Having lost it’s original function the dining table transforms into a sculpture that is questioning the importance of stability of everyday life. Created to turn into an interactive sculpture the alienation encourages for a real examination of the cross between product and sculpture and invites to rethink and reflect comfort zones. It intends to be a metaphor for unpredictable situations that need to be cared about by society. The four legs of a conventional table have been replaced in order to call for attention. The absence of humanity is the the visual statement that stresses a nonverbal dialog between human and sculpture by destabilization.
spinning candles
spinning candles
Irina Bittner
collapsed shelf
collapsed shelf
Irina Bittner
imbalanced wardrobe
imbalanced wardrobe

About AVE - Anna van Eck

Hi. My name is Anna van Eck. I am a sculptural designer exploring the boundaries of functionality within products. The human mind tends to respond to problems or challenges when they are right in front. In an age of climate change and many other challenges, this is life-threatening. Design is my tool to deal with social matters. Trained in applied Arts and Design as well as in crafts (goldsmith) my interactive products irritate at first sight but lead to an emotional learning experience.