Annual rings ruler
2024
What is primitive?
What is essence?
How do trees grow?
How does time pass?
In this project, starting from the annual rings of trees, a ruler based on the growth rings of trees was created.
kokuyo design award
2024 finalist
by a studio
Annual rings ruler
In everyday life, we set various units for ourselves to facilitate communication and understanding with one another. For example, length, time, and speed—these artificial scales help us define and comprehend the world around us.
However, our bodies and the natural world retain more primitive and natural units of measurement.
Annual rings
In nature, everything grows according to its own rhythm and rules. Trees are especially representative, as they go through the cycles of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, enduring the elements of wind, frost, rain, and dew.
As the years pass, the rings of the tree silently record the passage of time.
These annual rings are not only marks of the tree's growth but also serve as nature's primitive units of measurement, witnessing the changing seasons and the passage of time.
Feature
The most distinctive feature of this ruler is its irregularity. Its markings are not precisely defined by human hands but are naturally formed by the tree's growth rings.
Each growth ring records the tree's experience through the four seasons—spring, summer, autumn, and winter—resulting in unique and uneven shapes.
By utilizing the tree's growth rings, this ruler not only possesses a unique aesthetic but also offers a new interpretation of natural measurement.
Linking with Nature
A sketch, although it begins with a single line, contains infinite possibilities. From the moment this line is drawn, its potential area and volume start to take shape in the mind of the creator. In that instant, we are not just depicting a shape; we are creating a space, a three-dimensional world. This transformation from one dimension to three is moving, reflecting our awe and love for nature and creativity.
Annual rings style
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Cedarwood
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Waxwood
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Cherry wood
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Walnut wood
