From denting cans to decoding design: Noah Deledda's kinetic art of crushing

When you crush a can to throw it in the trash, have you ever paused to look at the shape it creates?

More often than not, we don’t. It’s just a normal act that we perform mindlessly. But artist and designer Noah Deledda paused to absorb these accidents, these dents in cans, leading to a new creative start. He first explored the possibilities of creating art from cans during a road trip. He narrates, “I finished my drink and partially crushed the empty can. Out of boredom, I played with the deformation. I could tell that there was something interesting to discover so I continued experimenting.” This experimentation brought forth a series of kinetic sculptures made from aluminium cans. However, Deledda didn’t stop at ‘the art of crushing’ cans and moved to merge this with product design.

In 2021, he co-founded CRUSHMETRIC, a design/production company with operations in Ybor City, Berlin, Hong Kong and Singapore, to extend his artistic and design innovations to the world. Their first product, SwitchPen—a ballpoint pen that changes shape with the flip of a switch, was launched in January 2022. The pen gained attention on various social media platforms, with people swooning over the perfection of its movement, raising curiosity about its functioning. Before one could question the possibility of this technique on larger objects, CRUSHMETRIC released their latest product, in January 2023, using a similar kinetic technique. Adding to the surprise and curiosity, their new launch ventures into furniture design named the 'Autohedron Chair.'

Following the shapeshifting concept of the pen, the chair is also a functional, kinetic art piece with a pedestal-style seat that interacts with the user. It transforms its shape when you sit on it and switches back to its original shape once you stand up. The action is accompanied by a sound that emerges when the surface buckles to create a geometric design pattern. The rate of this transformation is controlled by hydraulics.

"I make sculptures by scratching and denting aluminium cans using only my hands. I use flaws, scratches and dents, in a method to create beauty. I create art by accident but not by mistake. You can't force the shapes to happen. You have to discover what the cylinder will allow and take it from there,” shares Deledda.

In 2010, moving beyond his conventional technique, the American artist began sanding and polishing empty cans before denting them. Defining this, Deledda mentions, ”This was a turning point for me. The polished surface featured the shapes and patterns in a direct way, without printing, colour or logos, the art really shined through. The act of scratching fit so well with the dent, both being considered flaws, yet used to create beauty. It was at that point I decided to focus completely on developing this as a form of art."