Milan design week 2021
September, 4 - 10th
Alpha District
Piazza Gino Valle, Portello
in collaborazione con
Photo credits: Barbara Pau
Tape #04 – On wave
sculpture made by Paulina Herrera Letelier in collaboration with Frem Group to be exhibited in Gino Valle Square as part of the Alpha District exhibition event during the Milan Design Week period in 2021.
It is the fourth sculpture in the Concrete Tapestries series, a project born from research on flat forms and the perception of three dimensions in relation to space and time.
The idea stems from the image of a ribbon, just as a long tapestry suspended in the air and bent by the movement of the wind, registers in its folds the contemporary perception of plane and volume. The structure of the fabric is flexible in nature, allowing the tapestry to sway like a flag, moving from flat form to the hint of three-dimensional shapes. By turning to one side and the other, the ribbon exposes all its sides, drawing folds and bodies that would not normally be perceptible at the same time. Instead in this way the tape becomes a tool for reading, in a single instant, a sequence of movements that are traced in the folds of the tape itself.
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On wave, refers to the relationship between space and the practices activated in it. The idea of designing an element with the shape of a folded ribbon is not only to represent an abstract figure frozen in time, but it is to activate, through new spatial configurations, a dynamic interaction between the body and the space, dialoguing with a different time of travel and with the relationship between the inclination of planes and the force of gravity.
Dance for example, as well as skeatboarding, are some examples of dynamic interaction with space. Skateboarding, is a practice already present in Gino Valle Square. In this context, on wave, it fits into the square, in line with the skaters' flow paths and near the ramp and steps area, thus expanding the field of interaction and possible uses.
Finally, the resulting form is intersected by the immaterial form drawn by the shadows of the overlying steel elements. The continuous shifting of these shadows on the surfaces of the structure and floor remind us of the passage of time and lead us to reflect on the true nature of forms and space.
First, the sculpture is composed of a series of prefabricated panels made from the right mixture of cement, natural aggregates and recycled materials that are assembled and fastened together. Its own shape and weight make it self-supporting and it does not need to be fixed to the floor. A second part of the sculpture consists of a through-air structure developed in height, built with pre-shaped steel and connected to concrete panels.
The sculpture is suitable for installation in outdoor public spaces, and can be used as a plaything, a seat, or a skateboarding trampoline. Its shape makes it suitable for installation on both flat and sloping pavements.
It is constructed of RCK40 concrete, and its edges are reinforced to prevent chipping.
The iron parts are galvanized and painted.
Frem Group srl has been working in the field of reinforced concrete structures for more than 40 years. From a simple producer of pre-shaped steel, in recent years it has become a supplier of the building materials necessary for the realization of the entire architectural work. Innovation, digitalization and sustainability have always been key features of the company's development. Frem Group srl has always sought to combine its production activity with collaboration with expressions from the world of culture (universities, museums, artists), and it is in this perspective that the meeting with designer Paulina Herrera Latelier has allowed the cementing of these two souls, giving rise to a project that is strongly rooted in Sardinian tradition but is simultaneously a manifestation of current and innovative artistic research. The result is a building envelope of prefabricated panels, made from a mixture of cement, natural aggregates and recycled materials, with finishes designed by the artist, like contemporary bas-reliefs.