Iceland Air takes its passengers to the country in flight while a concept it has commissioned with Central Saint Martins students takes them there through the senses. Created by Masters students Leslie Borg and Anita Silva, _scape is an in-flight book inspired by Iceland’s form, texture, smell, sound and even taste that invites passengers on their Iceland Air flight to explore their destination layer by layer.

As the creators explain:

“_scape is made to contrast the straight lines and rather clinical interior of the airplane cabin. Inspired by Icelandic nature, it is made to look wild and untamed. Depending on how it is held, the body changes from black to white, representing the two dominant features in the Icelandic landscape: lava rock and ice. The interior is partly made of arctic wool, a delicate fabric that will, like nature, disintegrate if handled extensively.

The book becomes a collection of sensory stimulation rather than words and images. It tickles your imagination, encouraging you to wander through its pages and lose yourself in the feel of Iceland rather than your often mind-numbing flight to get there.

Though purely a concept, _scape challenges designers to rethink how they communicate place. Travel books tend to have glossy pages and beautiful images of landscapes; what if they instead used form to replicate the feel of the place they describe? Or, like _scape, included sound, scent and touch? Embracing more than just visual communication will create more sensory, experiential and ultimately engaging experiences for users.

Watch their concept video below:

Image credit Catherine O’Gorman 

_scape