Dirk van der Kooij’s Helm is one of those design objects that’s difficult to pin down.

Is it glass? Is it resin? Is it some otherworldly polymer, taken shape as an inscrutable orb that appears to both project and absorb light simultaneously?

In fact, it’s a piece that exemplifies van der Kooij’s work and philosophy. Known for his explorations into making plastic “an honest, durable material,” van der Kooij characterizes Helm as “a belted sphere grown additively from syrupy ribbons of molten, recycled plastic.”

The deft manipulations of this strange and unpredictable material manifest as layers of material held in perpendicular contrast to one another. The effect is rather like a shielding strategy to protect a molten, glowing core: “When passing through the corrugated structure, light breaks, softens, and multiplies into an engulfing spread.”

See Kooij to find out more.