A maze, suspended

Audacious. Abstract. Experimental. These are just some of the words one could use to describe the work of Numen/For Use, a design collective working in the fields of conceptual art, scenography, and industrial and spatial design.

Designers Sven Jonke, Christoph Katzler and Nikola Radeljkovic formed the collective in 1998 and established Numen in 1999 for their projects outside of the sphere of industrial design. Much of their work is rooted in the tradition of high modernism and uses textiles to look at form and shape in a new way.

The installation Tube Cologne—their most ambitious design of this kind to date—is just such a concept. The structure, which is designed for people to enter and explore, looks as though it is suspended in air. The Tube consists of safety nets stitched together and suspended from truss construction. It’s secured to the floor and ceiling with synthetic ropes.

The upper part features a flat net surface with larger spaces, and the lower part is made of net hoses that form narrow tunnels in which visitors enter and exit. The two parts merge into one spiral structure. Once inside, people feel as though they are free-floating in a soft, transparent body, experiencing the architectural environment in unexpected ways as they move through the mesh. For more information, visit www.numen.eu.