3deluxe designs mural in HI-MACS for Venice Biennale 2012
German design practice 3deluxe has designed a new mural using HI-MACS for the 13th International Architecture Exhibition Venice Biennale 2012 that will be held from 29 August to 25 November.
3deluxe has designed a mural for the event, which has been realised in HI-MACS and has been fabricated by Spanish fabricator Candido Hermida. The mural is a mix of collage and relief.
The architects have attempted to show traditional and contemporary design approaches through the mural. On the one hand, they apply principles of liveliness, such as self-organisation or symbiosis, to architecture and interior design and, on the other, they use set pieces from nature as mediators between technoform and biomorphic design strategies. In its overall graphic effect, the image is reminiscent of historical tapestries or frescos that creates a relationship with the exhibition location, the 15th century Venetian-Byzantine Palazzo Bembo.
The mural also takes up a second part of the exhibition title, “Future Steps” in its materiality. To represent this, the designer has used a facing panel in front of the historic wall of the Palazzo, onto which it has mounted HI-MACS solid surface panels printed with futuristic architectural fragments and technoform patterns.
The surface of the HI-MACS panels is partial shaped based on the graphical artwork that depicts the easy fabrication of the material. The work has been designed around two historic doors, which further enhances the contrast between exhibit and exhibition building.
At an eye level, between the doors, is a 2.90m long continuous block of HI-MACS, which shows a set of three futuristic architectural visions. The middle one, dubbed as “Las Vegas“, shows a surreal architectural design, the organic forms of which appear to be made from acrylic stone. It also demonstrates properties of HI-MACS, such as visually continuous finish, thermoformability, simple workmanship, and strength coupled with a warm tactile feeling.
The Biennale 2012 will showcase several products by 57 designers, which will be based on a new concept, “Common Ground”, coined by David Chipperfield.
The purpose of Biennale 2012 is to provide insights into the reality of design and construction and promote dialogue between them through the exhibition, which will take place at Palazzo Bembo, between the Rialto Bridge and the Canale Grande. The theme of the exhibition will be “Traces of Centuries & Future Steps”, which is being brought up by Chinese artist, Ying Tiangi.
