Costas Bissas  DESIGN RESEARCH & INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

 

 

 

 

ALKIONI

 

 

A tabletop marble laptop stand acting as a heatsink.

 

Made of Dionysos marble quarried in the foothills of Mount Penteli in Athens, Greece, it applies an ancient material to an everyday technological need in a contemporary design.

 

CNC cut but finished and polished by hand, each produced piece carries the marble’s unique signature pattern, as created through the centuries of its formation.
Two lasercut brushed stainless steel supports, bent to precision, ensure sufficient airflow allowing for heat dissipation towards the environment and simultaneously provide an ergonomic angle.

 

ALKIONI, designed and produced in Athens, holds up to 17’’ laptops and is proven to silently drop operating temperatures more than 10oC depending on computer, use and room temperature, taking advantage of the marble’s thermal properties.

 

It is the first batch produced object based on the designer's research on the theme of Slow Technology, a study on designing technologies on a par with nature's rhythms.

 

 

 

Why call it ALKIONI?

Legend has it that Alkioni, daughter of Aeolos – God of Winds –  was happily married to Ceyx. Their love was great and divine, the couple beautiful and adored by their peers, but their sacreligion towards the Gods cost Ceyx his life. Upon the news of his drowning in a storm while fishing, Alkioni decided to end her life.
The Gods were remorseful for the punishment they imposed upon the couple and chose to bring them back to life in the form of birds, both named after Alkioni, laying their eggs during a few warm days in the freezing winter.
Like the birds, the laptop stand requires heat to unravel its full potential.

 

photos by Costas Picadas

 

 

 

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