By resting upon its own shadow, the Uma table challenges ideas of form and structure, subtly guiding our perception from matter to light, from the dense to the ethereal.
What appears to be a shadow on the floor is in fact the base that supports the piece. The table is made of two interlocking steel elements: a base with a vertical column, and a tabletop whose integrated pillar fits precisely into it. Each part is finished in a different colour, so that light and shadow, support and surface, read as one gesture.
More than following a rational logic of structure, the piece seeks to provoke a sensation, a moment of surprise in which our perception is questioned.
Uma is part of a series of objects, together with the Ian Center Table, that explores the threshold between light and shadow, presence and absence, West and East. Both were launched by ETEL during the third edition of ABERTO, which celebrated the legacy of architect Chu Ming Silveira, my mother.