toelichting door Studio Ossidiana
‘Petrified Carpets’ is a collection of concrete architectural objects inspired by elements found in Persian carpets and gardens. The carpet is interpreted here as a planimetric representation of a garden. Its motifs of the frame, the central medallion and the grid – resemble various architectural elements found in Persian gardens such as the surrounding wall, the central fountain, the kiosk, and the doorways to the garden.
Experimenting with different techniques of casting, coloring, and texturing concrete, Studio Ossidiana has translated these elements into tactile concrete forms. Through the collaboration with high-end prefabricated concrete manufacturer Hurks Prefabbeton, the objects expose the lively and bright character of a material that has, in the building industries, progressively lost its expressive potential. The project combines pigments, stones, sand and cement in different ratios in each object, making reference to the contours, tones, and shades of gardens.
Petrified Carpets is an innovative project, a statement to push the boundaries of concrete, the number one material of the building industries, that is often used in standardized grey tones. This is achieved by crafting each moment of concrete production: from the formwork to the mixture - by selecting sand, stones and pigments, to the finishing, realized by hand or advanced machinery.
The project showcases an innovative process that brings together cultural research with the world of production and manufactory: the objects, in fact, are a combination of both artisanal techniques (for example by hand-made formwork or sculpting concrete by hand) and of advanced industrial technology realized at Hurks Prefabbeton.
