Isa Andersson’s Hydraulic Vase is a fusion of function and form, a vase and a sculpture at the same time. Thanks to a delicate process, each vase will have its own unique expression where none looks exactly like the other. The stainless-steel tube with its deformed base bears witnesses to tremendous, applied pressure tamed and transformed into a slender vase, presenting a strong yet soft impression. Rough and sensuous at the same time the vase is shaped in just one material and will happily expose flowers of all kinds. Isa Andersson graduated from Beckmans School of Design in 2016. ’I became fascinated by all the videos showing what you can do with hydraulic presses’, Isa recalls. ’Usually, you extract ball bearings, but you can do anything’! Isa Andersson, together with Johan Krantz, visited auto repair shops all over Stockholm, which had difficulty understanding their project, although they recognized their need for a stronger press than what the school had available. ’Its a challenging process; you have to be skilled in mathematics. You have to recalculate the entire process if you change the thickness of the material by just a millimeter before applying pressure. ’ Isa Andersson’s design is a true solitaire that will amplify the contrast between man-made form and natures blooming bouquets. ’I wanted to keep the rough feeling with this almost melted base, while at the same time enhance the contrast between hard and soft.’ says Isa Andersson. Hydraulic presents a unified yet artistically transformed shape with a strong narrative. The substantial weight of the vase ensures it stands securely, and it will adorn any space whether filled with flowers or not. Use Hydraulic to showcase decorative arrangements or allow it to shine on its own merits. After being produced in her own studio, Hydraulic will now reach a broader audience through Design House Stockholm. Despite her education as a designer, Isa Andersson chooses to identify as an artist. Her work frequently explores the contrasts between fragile and rigidly strong materials. ’As an artist, you have greater aesthetic freedom than as a designer’, she asserts. ’My aim is to present a sharp and precise visual language that challenges conventions of beauty, aggression, and identity.’ Born in 2019, during her masters graduation at Konstfack, Stockholm University of Arts, Crafts, and Design, Hydraulic emerges as an artistic creation with a compelling narrative that explores contemporary power dynamics, symbols of status, and aesthetics of survival. ’Hydraulic is not merely a vase; its a sculpture’, proposes Margot Barolo, design manager at Design House Stockholm. ’While steel usually is associated with rough masculinity, the squeezed base adds a different story, making Hydraulic a real fusion of opposites in a unified design.’
