The Wind Portal blows up 5,000 windmills at London Design Festival

Made up of 5,000 paper windmills that spin to an integrated wind system, it's shaped as a monumental gate that's eight metres high. The idea is to make visitors feel, hear and be aware of the action of transitioning through two spaces.

She remarks: "The wind portal tries to grasp and emphasise on common emotions and senses that are often forgotten. Its architectural shape works as a "trompe oeil" effect which, according to the angle you are positioned from, one would perceive the gate as being closed. As soon as you approach it, the gate seems to open up."

The installation blends different technologies and materials such as hand-folded paper windmills, hand-sculpted wooden joints, 3d printed clips, and complex wind and light computerised system. Different flows of wind are programmed resulting in different speeds, sounds and feelings. The light, which seems to play with the wind flow, gives us an impression of a breathing piece. Indeed, the gate breathes in and out, where the wind is its main source of life.

Find out more at Najla's website.