A Close Shave

Benjamin Hubert of experience design agency Layer has collaborated with German brand Braun to create Foil, an immersive installation located in the V&A’s Tapestry gallery.

The large-scale installation comprises 50,000 mirror-finish stainless steel panels on a 20-metre-long undulating ribbon that runs down the length of the gallery and moves in a constant sine-wave motion. Light from LEDs reflects off the surface to create an evocative pattern of scattered light around the gallery. The installation is accompanied by an atmospheric soundscape that emulates the fluid motion of the sculpture and light. The shape of the metallic elements is informed by the precision engineered shape of the Braun shaver foil and the movement is inspired by the 360-degree movement of the Braun shaver head.

“This project is particularly exciting for us as it’s our first artwork, so it’s less about conventional functionality and more about creating a heightened emotional experience,” says Hubert. “I want visitors to remember this sculptural landscape viscerally through all their senses.”

Layer is also launching PAIR for Fritz Hansen, a new chair that marks the iconic Danish brand’s first collaboration with a British designer. The chair is a contemporary mix of laminated wood, steel and plastic elements that can be combined in endless variations of material and colour. To celebrate the soft launch of PAIR, Hubert has curated an exhibition at the Fritz Hansen showroom highlighting the chair’s three-year development process.