It has been some time since The Operable Window has covereda product. It seemed about time that we jump back into looking at some beautiful
design objects.
Founded by two architects Benny Sachs and Eric Hoffman, Moda
is working to bring tactile play to an over-worked world. With the help of a (now
successful) Kickstarter campaign, the company is on its way to achieving just
that. For its first offering, California start-up has introduced the Waves
puzzle series, maybe the most aesthetically pleasing puzzles you will find anywhere.
“Moda originally grew out of our interest in model-making,”
said Benny Sachs, co-founder. “We wanted to make something fun and engaging for a broad audience to play
with shapes, geometry, and materials.”
The 49-piece laser-cut transparent acrylic puzzles currently
come in four colors blue, grey, yellow, and iridescent. This is to say you don’t
have to live with an unfinished Thomas Kenkade puzzle out on our dinning room
table when guest come over. Instead the eight-inch-eight-inch Wave puzzle will
fit into any tastefully decorated room. The individual pieces themselves are a pleasure
to hold and play with. A bonus is that since they are not made of cardboard,
like a normal puzzle, they are hardy enough to travel with or take along to a
night in with friends.
“As the world becomes ever more virtual, we all spend so
much of our time in front of screens,” said Eric Hoffman, co-founder. “Our puzzles help you unplug, make
something with your hands, and stimulate your creative instincts.”
But don’t let the puzzle’s small size deceive you into thinking
that it will only take a few short minutes to solve. While there may only be 49
pieces, since none have images on them, and there is no front or back (since
they are clear), normal puzzle solving techniques don’t exactly work. Instead,
one finds themselves looking for patterns and paying much closer attention to
the specific shapes of the individual pieces. On top of that there are at least
two known solutions.
For that that are puzzle masters, more than one of puzzle
can be ordered and combined in to nearly-endless combinations and compositions.
If you are reading this before October 25, 2018 there is
still time to get a deal on the one or more of the Wave Puzzles on Kickstarter. If it is after
the 25th, the puzzles will be available on www.modapuzzles.com.