The fascinating theme of the surface has dominated the last few posts and, before saying goodbye to it, let's have a look at an interesting interior design project that features an architectural element characterised by different shapes and surfaces – "The Plinth Project".
Organised at the Copenhagen-based Etage Projects gallery (until 21st January 2017), this event is an exploration of the parameters of plinths – interpreted as a building component and the lowest portion of the base of a column or pedestal, so as a feature that can be found in architecture and sculpture as well.
A group of artists and designers – Anton Alvarez, FOS, Fredrik Paulsen, Hilda Hellström, James Shaw, Jenny Nordberg, Kueng Caputo, Maria Lenskjold, Matt Olson/OOIEE, Pettersen & Hein, Soft Baroque and Studio Vit – were commissioned new versions of plinths inspired by their practices and aesthetic principles.
Critics may argue the project looks unfinished since these plinths do not support anything, but are free standing objects with no purpose. Yet the most important thing about these design plinths is not what they should be supporting, but the methods used to make them.
Some of the designers involved came up indeed with pieces made with materials that stimulate the senses: FOS opted for a tactile experience using concrete and stone; Fredrik Paulsen created a vibrating pattern by mounting flexible MDF inside-out on a double curved surface while Pettersen & Hein's layered plint (in concrete, pigment, black steel, PVC, dirt and earth) has a brutalist edge about it.
Inspired by the interior design elements sold in DIY superstores, James Shaw flattened instead the polystyrene architrave, pediment and ceiling rose, reducing them to a digitally printed carpet representing a hybrid object between architecture and furniture.
The most interesting pieces were created by designers that developed innovative methods: Anton Alvarez spent two years working on a device he called "The Thread Wrapping Machine": this structure partially made with recycled plywood from the crates of a Taiwan show, can help a designer wrapping all sorts of materials in metres of vividly coloured polyester thread.
In this way wood, metal or plastic can be joined to produce solid furniture and objects including stools, benches and lamps or even architectural installations.
The process allows to create new interior design pieces characterized by highly decorative features but without using any screws or nails.
The possibilities offered by two dichotomies – classical plinths Vs unusual and modern materials such as tin, and handmade Vs machine made – fascinated Jenny Nordberg, who came up with a method to produce sheet metal by casting tin in large molds. The outcome is an uneven and rough plinth with a futuristic metallic surface.
Hilda Hellström tried to tell a story through her plinth: the designer applied her sedimentation technique to the cubic shape of the plinth, tracing inside it figures and images – the Midgard serpent from Norse Mythology surrounding the earth, the hand of God looking over the creation of the mountains and the Big Bang. These images helped the designer telling three tales about the origin of the earth.
In architecture there are different types of plinths (think about above and below ground plinths, transferred and suppressed plinths…), and while a plinth is a versatile element, it is also a feature that frames a space and a building, limiting it.
In the case of this project the plinth retains its versatility without limiting the fantasy and imagination of the designers, turning into a platform to experiment with materials and methods.
Related articles
