Planter came, Spindel

When Eternit AG turned to the teachers at the Kunstgewerbeschule Zürich to request designs, only Willy Guhl (1915–2004) showed any interest in the strange material of fiber cement. In its unbound state, it was extremely malleable and, like plastic, could be shaped into any desired form. To get some ideas on what the material might be used for and how to work with it, the interior design class visited Eternit’s production plant in Niederurnen and, under the guidance of Willy Guhl, developed new planters such as the Spindel (spindle), which intelligently exploits the sculptural potential of the material to striking effect. The new planters were planted with grass and exhibited for the first time in 1952 in the foyer of the Kunstgewerbemuseum Zürich (today the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich).