Ma'an

The mantra of design, that form follows function, impedes a free and unbiased approach to the act of designing products, Marwane Soumer realised. Archetypical forms of objects are as much defined by cultural conventions and social habits. A square cup is not quickly seen as a wine glass, although it could be used to drink wine. The principle of individuation or 'principium individuationis', with which one thing is distinguished from other things, is culturally defined. In his project ‘MA’AN’, Arabic for water, Marwane liberated himself from all formality and conventions while developing a series of containers to drink water from. These are formed and held in the most instinctive possible way. Form follows anatomy. Anatomy creates function.