Watch These Tactile Bowls Quiver With Ecstasy

Nendo’s contribution to an upcoming exhibition explores the "spiritual pleasure" of an object’s touch. Writhe. Quiver. Shudder. Pulse. There are lots of romance novel-ready words to describe ecstasy, but they’re usually attributed to the experience of people, not things. Kama, an upcoming exhibition at Milan’s Triennale Design Museum, goes deep into the intimate connection between eros and design, and Nendo was one of eight contributors--along with the likes of Matali Crasset, Nigel Coates, and Nacho Carbonell--to create new work for the show. Oki Sato’s Japanese studio translated the evocative verb to physical reality with Shivering Bowls, a series of silicon vessels that simulate a sense beyond sight and touch and stimulate that sweet spot that makes viewers go all funny inside. From afar, the smooth, milky white (with a few shades of grey) material ...