My Precious - Data

My Precious Data

This box was made for the exhibition “My Precious” by the Danish Cabinetmakers Association. The exhibition was at Design Museum Denmark in 2010.

The brief of the exhibition was to create a container for a precious object. The object didn't have to be physical. Rasmus Fenhann decided to make a container for his precious data. The project is a homage to the tradition in cabinetmaking where new technologies like cameras, radios and televisions are placed in beautifully crafted containers of wood. At the time of making this box, the latest technology was the NAS servers, that could be in your own home, but could also be reached through the internet. If this technology gets outdated, it is possible to update it.

The box is covered with the dried skins of the Stingray - Dasyatis Sephen. This material is also called "Galuchat" by the French cabinetmakers.

The base is made in solid Ebony and contains cooling fans and in the front of the base there are LED’s signalling the functions of the server. They are covered with Mother of Pearl circles.

In the top of the box a hidden touch sensor is placed, so that the server can be switched on by touching the natural pearl of the "Galuchat" skin.

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Process

Rasmus had to go on a study trip to Paris to study the great masters of Art Deco, visit workshops and shops to purchase the rare materials. Back in his workshop Rasmus have spent several months experimenting to master the technique.

The lamination of the sides of the box was also a challenge and Rasmus used 3D drawing to puzzle the hardware into the box to fit with size of the skins.

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