Looking like an oversized bird’s nest, this cozy pavilion is not quite as organic as it seems, its flowing walls made out of strands of 100% recyclable high-density polyethylene (HDPE.) Designed by Dutch architect Ben van Berkel of UNStudio for the pavilion series Revolution Precrafted, the ‘Ellipsicoon’ features a sinuous design created using 3D modeling computer programs, but its strands are hand-woven by traditional craftspeople. Its alternately raised and sunken surfaces offer places to sit or lounge, while the roof provides shade and openings let in a little sunlight.

“I have long been interested in exploring spaces which extend function to replace the reality of the everyday with the potential for more nuanced, reflective experiences,” says van Berkel. “The Ellipsicoon offers a place of temporary disengagement, where the practicalities, duties and interruptions of daily life can momentarily fade and the imagination can take over.”

The Revolution Precrafted series of transportable pavilions features designs by some of the world’s most renowned architects, including Zaha Hadid, Daniel Libeskind, Sou Fujimoto and Kengo Kuma. They see the pavilions as a new way of collecting and experiencing art, immersing oneself in intimate designer spaces. The project aims to democratize high design by making it more accessible to the public.

Bridges, buildings, staircases and pavilions twist and turn around themselves, forming into neat knots or chaotic tangles in these 13 wildly weaving creations. There’s often a method to this madness, however, with the knots creating strategic nooks, pathways or climbable structures, taking inspiration from sailor’s ropes, woven palm fronds and pretzels.

Sous Le Ciel by Leandro Erlich at Le Bon Marché, Paris

Paris’ Le Bon Marché is tied up in knots with a new twisted staircase installation by Argentine artist Leandro Erlich entitled ‘Sous le Ciel.’ For the fourth year in a row, the store invited a contemporary artist to transform its stunning 19th century interiors, and this new iteration follows works by Ai Weiwei, Edoardo Tresoldi and Chiharu Shiota. Named for an Edith Piaf song, the pretzel-like sculpture makes it appear as if the staircase is twisted and knotted around itself.

Gangneung Resort Hotel by Planning Korea

Designed for the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea but never built, this pretzel-shaped resort hotelby Planning Korea offers 946 rooms in a dramatic abstracted artificial ‘landscape’ with both mountain and marine activities for guests. The shape takes inspiration from the anatomy of plankton, and there’s a giant swimming pool suspended in a mid-level ‘belt’ connecting either end of the structure.

Lucky Knot Pedestrian Bridge in Changsha, China by Next Architects

A new landmark for the Chinese mega city Changsha, the Lucky Knot pedestrian bridge stands out both for its bold red color and its mobius-inspired shape. The bridge represents a collaboration between Next Architect’s Dutch and Chinese teams of designers, with the Dutch expertise in infrastructure and water management and the Chinese designers’ understanding of the local context. The bridge connects to multiple structures and levels of the landscape at various heights, “literally and metaphorically knotting all those routes together.”

Twisted Heartland 66 Mixed-Use Development in Wuhan, China by Aedas

Containing a shopping mall, office tower and serviced apartment, the design for Heartland 66 by Aedas “adopts a concept of ‘infinity loop’ as an association with the Chinese art of knot tie,” say the architects. “The concept of infinity loops and knots, developed by Aedas’ Executive Directors Christine Lam and David Clayton, is transformed into actual retail circulation which appears as the visual feature uniting the three uses. The infinite knot is presented in the circulation and roof form, connecting the anchors and destinations with seamless flowing arcades.”

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Tied Up In Knots 13 Truly Twisted Towers Buildings Staircases

These designs convey all of the diverse wonder of coral reefs without having to walk along an actual sea floor (and presumably slice open a foot in the process.

Porto-based Portuguese textile artist Vanessa Barragão crochets, weaves and latch-hooks her textiles with inspiration from coral, algae and fungi, often from exotic, remote and underwater environments.

Her works range from entire round Earths (and other abstracted planetoids) to small ecosystems constructed at 1-to-1 scale, creating a sense of visual realism without compromising creature comforts.

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A post shared by Vanessa Barraga?o (@vanessabarragao_work)

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A post shared by Vanessa Barraga?o (@vanessabarragao_work)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Vanessa Barraga?o (@vanessabarragao_work)

Artist bio: “My name is Vanessa Barragão, I’m from the south of Portugal but right now I’m based in Porto. I took a degree in Fashion Design and when I was doing the master degree I started exploring more about handcrafted textile techniques and the wool process.” She then dedicated herself to “doing artworks such as tapestries using several techniques: latch hooking, crochet, weaving, knitting, basketry and felt.”

The intricacies of a plant’s secret life beneath the soil, where its roots grow and change almost constantly, become a true work of art when manipulated into specific patterns. Artist Diana Scherer collaborated with biologists and ecologists at Radboud University in Nijmegen, The Netherlands to develop a system that can create the same kinds of spirals and other motifs found in traditional woven textiles.

Subterranean templates act like molds as the root systems expand, channeling them in certain ways to form thick mats, almost like living fabric. As the roots grow, they curl and braid around themselves, becoming stronger and reinforcing the patterns.

“In my work I explore the relationship man has with his natural environment and his desire to control nature,” says Scherer. “For the past few years my fascination has mainly been focused on the dynamics of below ground plant parts. I’ve been captivated by the root system, with its hidden, underground processes; it is considered to be the brain of the plant by plant neurobiologists.”

“Charles Darwin was the first to watch the behavior of the plant roots. In his book The Power of Movements of Plants, he describes how roots do not passively grow down, but move and observe. A root navigates, knows what’s up and down, observes gravity and localizes moisture and chemicals. Darwin discovered that plants are a lot more intelligent than everybody thought. For contemporary botanists, this buried matter is still a wondrous land. There is a global investigation to discover this hidden world. I also want to explore it and apply the ‘intelligence’ of plants in my work.”

Using a simple material palette of thread, wood and nails, artist Gabriel Dawe‘s latest cascading color creation combines thousands of threads to make a remarkable interior rainbow.

Plexus #35 is on display at the Toledo Museum of Art (images by Andrew Weber), a featured highlight in the center of the Great Gallery illuminated against dark red walls and framed oil paintings via a skylight above.

The entire color spectrum is represented, meticulously organized strand by strand — a single twist between a pair of origin and termination lines ensures that the work appears different from every angle.

Other works by Dawe feature similar themes in different hues and shades, often intricately woven to create overlaps. By comparison, this is one of his simplest pieces yet arguably one of his most powerful.

“Originally from Mexico City, Gabriel Dawe creates site-specific installations that explore the connection between fashion and architecture, and how they relate to the human need for shelter in all its shapes and forms.”

“His work is centered in the exploration of textiles, aiming to examine the complicated construction of gender and identity in his native Mexico and attempting to subvert the notions of masculinity and machismo prevalent in the present day.”