foldable pop-up table, münchhausen
images courtesy ofjaanus orgusaar

estonian designer jaanus orgusaar's foldable pop-up table, münchhausenn, is crafted from 9mm birch plywood pieces finished with matt lacquer. the design is intended for ease of travel-- it can be folded and unfolded, and ships flat in recycled cardboard. the human interaction with the piece is influenced by the legend of baron von münchhausenn, who escaped from death in a swamp by pulling he and his horse to safety. orgusaar experiments with plywood within a the limited production and construction confines of estonia, in the end, devising a fresh conception of the portable table.

image 1, the first step in unhinging the table from its complete shape to the more portable, flattened form featured at budapest design week 2011, the piece was featured in the program series 'design hét couleur locale: európa snínei tárgyakban': the colours of europe in objects design exhibition’. three contemporary projects from thirty countries of the european union were featured in the exhibit as the cultural and artistic characteristics of each nation were appreciated in each display. the pieces were selected based on their ability to convey the local color, tone and aesthetic of their respective homes. based upon the guidance of that nation's design experts. the directors of the estonian cluster, kai lobjakas and ketli tiitsar, both of the estonian museum of applied art and design, might have selected jaanus orgussar as he is '... a typical representative of his generation [in estonia]...' (couleur locale curators halashi rita mária and szépvölgyi viktória).

image 2, partially unfolding piece

image 3, almost entirely extending table frame

detailed view of the table legs
image courtesy of budapest design week

estonia and észtorszàg (EST) cluster in the 'colours of europe in objects design exhibition' featured at budapest design week
images courtesy of budapest design week

conceptual drawing depicting the table top and its interaction with the leg pieces

sketch demonstrating the collapsed form of the piece, beginning to move to its table form