Hydraulic Vase XL

Twenty years ago, the Dutch artist Ronald A. Westerhuis found a technique in his search for new ways to use stainless steel in his unique sculptures and smaller objects. In 2018 Isa Andersson takes a jump from the same path and started to work with a hydraulic press inspired by the technique and YouTube-videos showing the way the machine could deform the metal and make the hard metal look soft.

Isa Andersson’s Hydraulic Vase is a fusion of form and force. A slender tube of stainless steel exposed to tremendous pressure deforming the base into a sculpture. A vase fusing function with form, each example displaying a unique expression. Hard and soft at the same time, rough and sensuous and shaped in just one material. Hydraulic will happily expose flowers of all kinds, or just as a solitary vase in all its glory. Available in two sizes, the new XL-version sports a diameter of 14 centimeters and a height of 32.  

During her master studies at Konstfack, Stockholm University of Arts, Crafts, and Design, Isa Andersson became mesmerized by the malleability of steel. "I became fascinated by all the videos showing what you can do with Hydraulic presses," Isa Andersson recalls. "Usually, you extract ball bearings, but you can do anything!" Together with fellow student Johan Krantz, they toured auto repair shops all over Stockholm searching for tougher equipment than the school could offer. "They recognized our need for a stronger press, but we had a hard time to explain our quest." Once they got onboard, the difficulty stood in how to preserve the form and control the deformation of the base. "It's a challenging process; you have to be skilled in mathematics. If you change the thickness of the material by just a millimeter, then you have to recalculate the entire process before you dare apply pressure.”  

Isa Andersson’s design is a true solitaire that will amplify the contrast between man-made form and nature's 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.  

Notwithstanding 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. A mallet of glass with spikes of rusty steel, a key sharpened into a knife: soft and hard in unconventional embraces, a questioning of social structures and the spaces our bodies inhabit. "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."

Hydraulic stands out 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; it’s a sculpture", says Margot Barolo, who finalized the product in her former role as 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."