Movie Scenes Inspire Stelios Mousarris’ Folded Cityscape Tables
One of the best things about inspiration is the fact that it comes to us all in different ways. Even if the stimulus is the same, the results are always distinctive. The mind-bending 2010 movie Inception built an entire plot on this phenomenon, and now, Cyprus-based designer Stelios Mousarris’ latest line of coffee tables is bringing scenes from Inception to life, depicting an unnamed cityscape reaching toward the sky and bending back over itself.
Mousarris is known for producing surreal yet efficient sculptural objects. His newest work is this “Wave City” collection, in which he cleverly creates and manipulates tiny architectural elements to form tables and a pendant light fixture.
Say Hello to Wave City
The first entry in the Mousarris Wave City collection is a reproduction of the famous Inception scene, as completed using precisely curved sheet of plywood covered with scrupulously-carved buildings, each one unique in height and architectural design. The cityscape continues throughout the curvature of the piece and down onto a lower section of the table that rests on the floor. All in all, the table is a little over 39 inches long and about 20 inches wide.
The Second and Third Incarnations
The original table garnered so much positive feedback that Mousarris felt compelled to follow it with a black matte finished version, which itself nicely complements the light-colored plywood grain of the original. The dimensions of this new table are the same as those of the original.
As the tables continued to gain popularity, Mousarris went on to build a considerably larger dining table for 12 people. This version’s undercarriage completely encapsules the cityscape for half of the total length, while an additional curved support steadies the other half. The tabletop is enhanced and protected by a thin piece of smoked glass. This larger manifestation is a little over 98 inches in length and about 59 inches wide.
All the tables are made of steel, wood, and a few 3D components, with minute details added in using hand-painted coloring techniques. The original wood version had a limited run of 25 units and retailed for around $9900. The matte black coffee table had a 10-piece run and a price tag of around $7600. If you want to dine on a table with a sprawling cityscape underneath the surface, it will cost about $21,000, and you may have to act fast to buy one of the 10 available units.
The City Pendant Light
Mousarris added to the Wave City collection by designing a lamp that also recreates the enchanting skyline. This time, the cityscape is depicted in a diminutive circular shape with a black matte finish. The neo-noir fixture is full of chilling shadows, wile the light flickers to reveal patterns and contrasts in the surrounding steel frame.
The Artist’s Muse
When asked his source of inspiration, Mousarris shared: “I have been collecting toys and action figures and anything nostalgic from my childhood until this day. Every time I take a look at my collectibles, I remember my childhood, when I used to play for hours on end without a care in the world. I wanted to recreate that feeling of carefreeness and nostalgia…”
