A fleeting reflection flashes as you pass. Points of light travel across the surface. A logo appears, then fades away. Formfeld sets walls in motion without elaborate projections or screens. The surfaces come alive through analog reflection and light effects that continuously shift with the viewer’s perspective. Gradually, a motif unfolds and disappears again.

Formfeld’s wall designs are subtle and understated. They feel almost incidental, inviting a closer look. A dialogue emerges naturally between viewer and surface. “We design structures that incorporate the position of the viewer,” explains Simon Vorhammer, founder of Formfeld and specialist in mathematically shaped surfaces.

Each wall design is based on individually calculated algorithms that enable Formfeld to generate unique surfaces. “With the help of algorithms, we can precisely structure and control complex geometries,” says Simon Vorhammer. In this way, dynamic reflection and light effects can be carefully orchestrated, as demonstrated in the trade fair booth for the Munich based company Blickfeld. In 2020, Formfeld developed a rear wall composed of 220 folded elements made of mirrored Alucobond, assembled into a large relief.

The angles and positions of the folds were calculated so that passing trade fair visitors saw their reflections fragmented multiple times and in varying formations across the wall. “Each mirrored surface is aligned to a specific point along a path of movement,” says Simon Vorhammer. “To the trajectory of a visitor walking past the stand.” Formfeld drew inspiration for the design from the company’s field of expertise. Blickfeld develops 3D scanners for the automotive industry that scan and capture their surroundings. The reflective rear wall translates this process into a spatial visual experience.

The effect of a dialogue between viewer and surface can be achieved not only through reflection but also through light sources. For the Adidas headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Formfeld conceived a double sided room divider made of beech plywood with a CNC milled relief structure. Integrated into the organically flowing surface are small openings for light sources which together form the sports brand’s logo. Due to the surface geometry, the backlit perforations are not visible from the side. Only as viewers move past the wall does the logo illuminate, then gradually fade again. In this project, the effect is not created by digital animation but solely by a change in viewpoint. The viewers are actively involved. “This creates a deliberate interaction between surface, space, and body within space,” explains Simon Vorhammer.

Simon Vorhammer applied a similar principle in a third recent project. For the café of the Sudetendeutsches Museum in Munich, Formfeld designed a wooden wall cladding with an algorithmically calculated, irregular surface and backlit perforations. The points of light schematically represent the original settlement areas of the Sudeten Germans and the migration movements following the end of the Second World War. Because the perforations are not aligned perpendicular to the surface but set at precisely calculated angles, they are visible only from specific viewpoints, as in the Adidas project. As viewers move along the wall within the space, the appearing and fading light points trace the escape routes of the Sudeten Germans.

Alongside the projects already realized, Simon Vorhammer continues to develop further explorations of the principle of dynamic, dialogic wall design. Thanks to digitally supported design and fabrication processes, a wide range of applications is conceivable. One study, for example, features an algorithmically calculated element that reflects light from an external source. The surface is fragmented into differently angled facets which, depending on the direction of light and the viewer’s perspective, produce varying patterns comparable to the cut of a gemstone.