Product News! Heart Beater by Martin Smith

We are delighted to announce that Heart Beater by Martin Smith is now in small scale production and is available via Laikingland webshop.

Full product view.

Front view.

Product detail.

Product also available in patinated brass.

All images provided courtesy of Martin Smith Studio.

It's an alarming little machine to demand the attention of the one you love. 

Materials: Steel and brass

Dimensions: Height 17cm / 6.5”.Power: Hand operated.

Edition: Each piece individually number stamped.

Colours: Patinated steel, Brass and Red.

Retail Price: £120.00

For more info and ordering please visit our webshop.

Just About Now by Maarten Baas with Laikingland _ Development Story (2011 - 2013)

"Apart from things like train schedules or the duration of sporting games , the exact time is often irrelevant.  A coffee break, a meditation, a nap, a business meeting, they could take a few minutes longer or shorter than an exact amount of time. This is why I wanted to create a timer that bangs a gong, more or less after the amount of time you indicated."  Maarten Baas.

Here is the story of how we did it....

In Autumn 2011 we received the Latest Plan idea from Maarten.

Then we visited the Baas and Den Herder studio (farm) for the first of many design meetings.

Material direction from Bas Den Herder, "it needs to be completely natural, look, like the inside of my piano over there."

First engineering drawings / sketches / ideas.

First maquette.

 Here's how the hammer could be activated.

 Frame construction pencil drawing.

 Frame prototype jig in CAD.

 Frame prototype jig in acrylic.

 Frame development in CAD.

Product and mechanism development in CAD.

 Front view in CAD.

 Wood, glass, brass and ceramic in CAD.

Design to be wall mounted.

 The parts arrive from our wonderful component suppliers.

Martin and Nik Ramage tweaking the mechanism.

 Laikingland @ Ventura Lambrate, Milan 2012.

Just About Now by (and with) Maarten Baas.

 Just About Now _ 2012 PR images front view.

 Just About Now _ 2012 PR images detail

 Just About Now _ 2012 PR images wall mounted.

 Just About Now at the Frozen Fountain. post Milan exhibition (May 2012)

 Mechanism improvement ideas.

Beautifully crafted mechanism improvements..

 Mechanism improvement testing.

 Mechanism improvements with gong.

 Mechanism improvements (detail.)

Just About Now @ Mint, during London Design Festival (Sept 2012)

 Moving funnel mechanism mock up.

Hammer mechanism release development in CAD.

 Mechanism development with moving funnel in CAD.

 Funnel movement mechanism in CAD.

 New mechanism components arrive at the studio.

Time once again for some crafting.

 Funnel holder, beautifully crafted by Martin.

 Moving funnel testing.

 Time for a name plate.

 Just About Now _ 2013 PR images front view

 Just About Now _ 2013 PR images rear view

Just About Now _ 2013 PR images sand flowing detail.

We also had a wonderful product move made, which you can see here.

 Just About Now and other Laikingland works @ Museo Bagatti Valsecchi, Milan. (April 2013)

Just About Now by Maarten Baas with Laikingland is currently on show Spazio Rossana Orlandi, Milano.

For more product information and availability, please visit our online shop.

One Year Development Story : Light a Moment by Kiki van Eijk & Joost van Bleiswijk

In October 2011 during Dutch Design Week, the Laikingland team were invited to take part in T Workshop by Kiki & Joost.

The aim of the workshop was to choose an idea from Kiki and Joost that could be developed into a Laikingland beautifully crafted kinetic object.

Here is the Laikingland team with their hosts and some assembled objects for inspiration.

Our favourite idea from Kiki to create a thousand flames from one simple church candle.

The idea developed and started to take some form language from Joost.

Here is the final concept design drawing.

A wonderful mix of Kiki's textile ceramics.

And Joost's constructivist framework.

Willem adds some Laikingland mechanism magic.



The framework takes shape.

The first CAD renderings.

Kiki's textile master model.

Ton, the master mouldmaker at Cor Unum.

Lotte crafting at Cor Unum and Willem measuring.

The first ceramic ready for the oven.

102 piece jigsaw made of two way mirrored glass.

The first mechanism in the ceramic,

The metal and glass dome being fitted by Willem and Martin.

Light a Moment featured in Laikingland's exhibition at Ventura Lambrate, during Milan Saloni (April 2012.)

Nick explaining the Light a Moment story and product.

Willem protecting our work from the enthusiastic visitors.

After Milan, Willem did some mechanism tweaking.

Beautifully handmade mechanism crafted by Martin at Laikingland's studio in UK.

Light a Moment on show at the opening of Cor Unum's new workshop in Den Bosch, NL.

Light a Moment at studio Kiki & Joost during Dutch Design Week (Eindhoven, October 2012)

Kiki's idea of a 1000 flames?  In fact we didn't count....

Light s Moment by Kiki van Eijk & Joost van Bleiswijk.  (Eindhoven, October 2012)

Willem presenting the doors opening mechanism.

Kiki van Eijk snd Joost van Bleiswijk with Light a Moment (Eindhoven, October 2012.)

Light a Moment is now available from Laikingland. 

For information on price and availability please contact the Laikingland team at enquiries@laikingland.co.uk