Hasta La Ideas

Japanese designers Nendo have designed these three wooden bells containing mechanisms from children’s musical boxes.

Called Bell-orgel, the series is made from Japanese cypress in three shapes.

One is shaped like a hand-bell and stops playing music when laid down, while the upright version is wound by turning the bell on its base.

Nendo designed the pieces for Isetan department store in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district, where they were customised by 57 designers and studios.

See also: Pyggy Bank by Nendo for Isetan

More about Nendo on Dezeen »

Photographs are by Masayuki Hayashi.

Here are some more details from the designers:

We designed a music box “bell-orgel” for a Japanese department store Isetan collaborated with more-trees

“bell-orgel” Design Concept

Wooden music boxes designed for the Isetan department store’s ‘bell-orgel collection’ project,launched with the cooperation of composer Sakamoto Ryuichi’s moretrees initiative, which promotes the protection of forests as absorbers of CO2.

We designed the music box, which was then decorated by 57 different designers and design groups. The music boxes are made of Japanese cypress (hinoki) harvested as part of sustainable forest management practices.

As a familiar form, the bell shape also invites visitors to touch the music box and enjoy the feel of the wood surface. We were also aware that the combination of form and material would soften the metallic sound of the chimes.

The music box comes in three varieties: a hand bell, a standing bell and a hanging bell.

The hand bell is designed to stop playing its melody when laid on its side. Turning the bell on the standing bell winds the music box mechanism, making it play.

In both music boxes, the ‘bell’ itself functions as a switch, making a connection to the traditional way of ringing bells.

See also:

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