WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF

New innovative displays are helping designers innovate new design concepts which could change how we live and lounge.

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TV’s and displays have been changing for decades, first they were fat, then they were flat, then they become flexible, and now they’re rollable and increasingly invisible and atom thin – all of which has left companies around the world wondering what to do when suddenly the TV no longer needs to be staple gunned onto a wall …

One company that’s come up with an interesting new concept is Studio BooBoon whose LG rollable OLED display can be retracted to become a standalone speaker. Created by Tokyo based designers Richard Bone and Jisu Yun, it’s named the Totem due to its upright position and minimal footprint, and as you can see it looks quite neat.

Would you buy one?

The design makes use of the flexibility of OLED technology to create a highly customisable display that can be positioned horizontally, vertically, adjusted to varying heights and can be retracted to alter its size. And obviously it looks nothing like a regular TV setup.

The screen can also be fully retracted using LG Display’s rollable OLED technology to become a freestanding soundbar that blends into the user’s environment. The multiple configurations enable Totem to be used for a number of activities, ranging from checking social media and screen mirroring to offering an enhanced viewing of standard media, as well as functioning as a standalone speaker. Totem is designed to suit a wide range of residential interior settings and has been created with a palette of soft and matt pastel hues, including white, charcoal, salmon and blue grey.

“We wanted to create something characterful and sculptural that blends into the user’s home seamlessly,” said the designers. “We think Totem’s versatility means there’s something that will appeal to every user.”

The design is one of five finalists in LG Display’s OLEDs Go! competition, a global contest looking for fresh and innovative ideas that embrace the light, thin, flexible and transparent qualities of OLED displays.

The competition brief asked entrants to create designs that adapt and enhance people’s changing lives and provide new experiences. The finalists were selected from 20 shortlisted designs, which included televisions that fold into lamps and cabinets with digital displays for doors.

The overall winner of the contest will be announced this month,with all of the top five designers sharing in the prize pot of €88,000.