Love Hultén creates shrine to Nintendo Entertainment System
Swedish-based craftsman Love Hultén has designed and built a NES topped with a glass dome as a tribute to the hugely popular 1980s video games console.
Hultén designed his version of the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), which is fully-operational, as a conceptual tribute to the best-selling console.
"I made the tribute due the console's role in history," Hultén told Dezeen. "But it's also a very personal homage as I grew up with the NES myself. The console made quite an impact on me."
"Video games were a big part of my life growing up, hence the tribute," he said. "But it's also a celebration of control and tactility."
Hultén designed the shrine around an Analogue NT mini – a modern machine that works with the old game cartridges, which is manufactured by Seattle-based video hardware company Analogue.
The stylised version of the video console is topped with a bell-shaped glass jar that covers the cartridge and is lit from the inside.
"Our digital world is expanding and, to connect with the real world, we need physical interaction. I want my objects to create a state of curiosity – using tactile references from both past and present," said Hultén.
Although the designer creates his works to be fun, there is also a more serious side to his designs.
"I'm very serious in my work, and aim to present attractive alternatives to the contemporary tech commerce," he said.
"In my work, delicate execution simply isn't enough – every detail must serve a purpose. It can be highly conceptual, but the object must feel real, natural and honest," continued Hultén.
"I tend to play with preconceptions about art and design in general, so of course there's a lot of playful elements in my work."
Also taking inspiration from a 1980s video game, Lithuanian designer Lukas Valiauga has created a version of Tetris where the blocks are replaced with Soviet-era apartment buildings.