Dunking Devils
Photo: Dunking Devils

Despite its small size, a nut is one of the most important inventions; after all, it’s the element that holds multiple parts together. Without it, our machines, buildings, vehicles and vessels would simply fall apart. Although many of humankind’s greatest achievements wouldn’t have been possible without the nut, its role and importance are often overlooked. To pay tribute to this seemingly insignificant item, world-famous acrobats DD Squad have joined forces with some of Slovenia’s most successful companies and shot a video featuring the world’s biggest nut!

THE KEY ELEMENT OF HUMANKIND’S GREATEST ACHIEVEMENTS

What do Moon landing, Space exploration and architectural marvels like the legendary Golden Gate bridge or the tallest building Burj Khalifa all have in common? None of these would have been possible without small hexagonal metal items – nuts. Nuts are one of the most common elements in construction and machine design. They hold everything together and without them, gadgets and devices we use every day would simply fall apart! No one really knows when the nut was invented, but many consider that it dates back as far as Ancient Greece. Square nuts were first made and also used to  be the most prevalent up until the 19th century, when hexagonal nuts were first manufactured. Even though the nut usually joins different parts together quite literally, this time its connecting role was more figurative. 

THE BIGGEST NUT IN THE WORLD

The world’s biggest nut measuring 2 by 4 meters and weighing a staggering 2 tonnes, brought together world-famous acrobats DD Squad and some of Slovenia’s most successful companies. Matica MB, a nut manufacturing company, started this whole story by ordering the world’s biggest nut that was manufactured by company Lesnina OK. Dvig supplied the cranes which lifted the nut a whopping 21 meters in the air, where the fearless quartet performed their insane acrobatic tricks. 

AND YET IT MOVES

The nut fastens multiple parts together by rotation, which is also the central theme of the video. The clip shows a number of breathtaking acrobatic tricks and spinning flips which are intertwined with the cyclical nature of life and natural phenomena. Rotation is the basic movement of our reality without which life wouldn’t exist. Even we, albeit still and in one place, continuously rotate and travel through space together with the Earth. Through rotation, the video merges the nut together with the inspiring story of progress and development. The project is bringing some positivity and reminding us of the need to connect and cooperate in a time of great challenges brought upon us by the COVID-19 crisis. After all, the greatest achievements of humankind are always the result of cooperation and work of many elements – often such fastened together by a nut.

COMMENTS

Jan Žnidaršič, Dunking Devils acrobat and member of DD Squad

“The basic idea of the video was to mimic the dynamics and movement on the nut with our bodies and connect to it through rotation. The execution of the project was quite challenging due to the nut’s sheer size and weight, but luckily we were able to pull off practically all acrobatic tricks we’d envisioned. What I’m proud of the most is the fact that I jumped from 21 meters, which was a huge leap outside my comfort zone. Usually, I perform jumps from lower heights and, what’s more important, stable platform – which the nut obviously wasn’t. Due to the wind and the nut swaying in the air, I had to be extremely careful when making the jump, because a mere centimeter can be lethal. Fortunately, everything went according to plan, and as a result, we have an amazing video to share with you!”

Domen Rozman, Dunking Devils manager

“Our philosophy: “There’s one true direction – UP!” has continued to be our motto throughout this pandemic. We are happy to have had the opportunity to work with companies sharing our vision and successfully completing another project, despite the difficult times we have all found ourselves in. We believe we have created another inspiring story that we hope will motivate people to continue following their dreams and goals regardless of the circumstances.”