Concrete Canvas

A group of 13 students led by Agnes Günther have focused their attention on discovering the design possibilities of a newly developed material, Concrete Canvas, during the two week workshop. 

Agnes Günther studies Jewellery and Product Design at Escola d'Art I Superior de Disseny in Valencia and works for the Concrete research centre in Germany. As a previous participant in the last two years of MEDS she decided to be a tutor this year and share her knowledge about Concrete Canvas with the participants of her workshop.

Concrete canvas is material that consists of three functional layers. It has a PVC foil on one side, dry concrete mixture in the middle and fibrous top surface. The canvas is hydrated by spraying or fully immerse into water and after drying for 24 hours it gets the character of cured concrete with several advantages – it is waterproof, fire resistant, and, thanks to effective usage, reduces the enviromental impact of normal concrete projects by up to 95%. Concrete canvas is normally used in civil infrastructure application and its design possibilities are waiting for discovering. It is made in three thickness 5, 8 or 13 mm, which all are used by Agnes and her students during the two weeks.

The Concrete canvas workshop is full of discovery and experimentation. The participants designed their own furniture during the first days to prove their stability. Some of designs needed only some final corrections and finishing such as screwing or cutting, whereas some of them collapsed totally. The successful ones have been produced in larger amounts. The final products will be exhibited in front of Christchurch and in The Chocolate Factory Creative Community.

Eliska