Sonia Bemelmans

Department: Man and Activity
Website: soniabemelmans.nl

Hint

What: These sunshades originated from the question whether one material could be used both in a flexible and a more rigid state.

Why: A material with flexible, rigid or more dense properties as needed, would allow products to be made from just one material, instead of having to be made from two.

How: Sunshades can be very muggy and usually block all the sunlight. Sometimes however, partial shadow is more desirable. These sunshades of woven polypropylene ropes are partially heated to increase density locally. Thus, the sunshades provide different shade patterns, comparable to a tree’s foliage that gives shelter from the sun while still letting the light come through.

“Why use two materials when one would suffice?”