Hydraulic Vase

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 seamless blend of function and artistry, serving as both a vase and a sculpture. Created through a delicate process, each piece is entirely unique, with no two alike. The stainless-steel tube, featuring a deformed base, is a testament to the immense pressure applied during its creation - a force that is tamed and transformed into a sleek, slender vase. The result is a design that balances strength and softness, roughness and sensuality, all crafted from a single material. Perfect for showcasing flowers of all kinds, the Hydraulic Vase is as striking empty as it is adorned.

Isa Andersson, a 2016 graduate of Beckmans College of Design, was inspired by videos demonstrating the potential of hydraulic presses. “You usually use them to extract ball bearings, but you can do so much more!” Isa explains. Together with Johan Krantz, she visited auto repair shops across Stockholm in search of a press stronger than the school’s equipment. While the mechanics found their project unconventional, they recognized the need for precision. “It’s a challenging process - you need mathematical skill. Even changing the material thickness by a millimeter requires recalculating everything before applying pressure,” Isa recalls.

The Hydraulic Vase stands as a true solitaire, amplifying the contrast between human-crafted form and nature’s organic beauty. “I wanted to preserve the raw, almost molten feel of the base while emphasizing the contrast between hard and soft,” Isa explains. The vase’s substantial weight ensures stability, whether holding flowers or standing as a standalone centerpiece. With its distinctive aesthetic and narrative, Hydraulic elevates any space, whether filled with decorative arrangements or showcased on its own.

Initially produced in Isa’s studio, the Hydraulic Vase is now reaching a broader audience through Design House Stockholm. Though formally trained as a designer, Isa identifies as an artist. Her work often explores the tension between fragile and robust materials. “As an artist, you have greater aesthetic freedom than as a designer,” she says. “My goal is to present a sharp, precise visual language that challenges conventions of beauty, aggression, and identity.”

First conceived in 2019 during her master’s graduation at Konstfack, Stockholm University of Arts, Crafts, and Design, Hydraulic is more than a functional object - it is a thought-provoking artistic creation. It reflects on power dynamics, status symbols, and the aesthetics of survival. “Hydraulic is not just a vase; it’s a sculpture,” notes Margot Barolo, design manager at Design House Stockholm. “While steel is often associated with rough masculinity, the compressed base tells a different story, making Hydraulic a perfect fusion of opposites within a unified design.”