UN17 | Balance

UN17 | Balance is the mobile as an argument: seventeen goals, one system, and the whole thing only holds level when every part is in the right place. Rose & Rose Design created it with the Royal Danish Academy's Institute of Architecture and Technology in 2023 to draw attention to the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Translucent colored shapes of tracing paper, so light passes through them, hang from stainless-steel arms in a wide, balanced array that shifts with the air and settles back every time.

At just over 25 inches across it is the largest mobile in the Flensted collection, and the one to choose for a high ceiling, a stairwell, a classroom or a public-facing space where you want a conversation piece with something to say. It arrives flat and takes about twenty minutes to assemble, a good pair-up project and a real lesson in balance and moments for anyone who's curious about how a mobile stays level at all.

Assembled by hand on Funen, Denmark, by the Flensted family workshop.

At a glance: Design: Rose & Rose Design with the Royal Danish Academy, 2023 · Size: 25.6" × 25.6" (65 × 65 cm) · Materials: tracing paper, silicone, stainless steel · Assembly: ~20 min · Handmade in Denmark · Ships from Princeton, NJ