The Liminal Series: Table

Hala Al Ani is interested in surrendingl design control and allowing nature to gain agency. With 'The Liminal Series', Hala invites the natural process into her design, using salt formations to create a series of tables. Playing with the utilitarian functional nature of salt as a building material, she gives up part of her authoritarian role by allowing the crystallisation process to dictate the formal qualities of the surface. The salt crystals are grown on metal structures to lend the material the necessary strength to be used as a table without controlling it. It is this juxtaposition between organic process and intentional design that triggered her enquiry. (Conceived and created during the Tanween design programme at Tashkeel)