Memoria Akersi

Press Kit

Unique Properties

Memoria is a groundbreaking furniture proposal based on sustainability, functionality and the creation of new sensorial experiences, by the usage of concrete fabric as the main manufacturing element. A very unusual material in furniture and generally used in civil constructions due to its high durability, resistance and sustainability. The project arises from a deep study of the changes taking place in society, and how these are affecting the forms of consumption in the youngest consumers.

Dimensions & Packaging

Dimensions: 1100mm x 900 mm x 708 mm. Material: Concrete Canvas Textile. Technical properties: Impact resistant, Waterproof, Stable Design.

Tags

Furniture, design, concrete canvas, concrete, sustainability, space.

Production Technology

It is created from the manufacture of a 3d printed PLA (totally recyclable and reusable) mold with shapes that serve as a guide. Concrete Canvas is applied to this mold, which we leave to set for at leat 24 hours. After its setting we can observe its hardness and resistence, but to make it even more consolidated, we apply an epoxy resin that filters between the pores of the material and cement, increasing its solidity and durability to more that 50 years of life.

Design Challenge

The design process of the Memoria chair finds its difficulty mainly in the creation of the concept. Also noteworthy is the process of selecting and acquiring the most suitable material to carry out the concept. Finally, some difficulties arise in the handling of the material, since the was not enough to make a large number of prototypes, this situation was solved by sending a sample of the Concrete Canvas to a geological materials analysis laboratory, whose results gave multiple solutions and proposals to help with its manipulation.

Research

The project arises from the study of the changes taking place in society, and their effects. These changes have an important influence on design, fulfilling objectives of sustainability, experience, interaction and identity. There were also analyzed the trends occurring in the furniture sector; a market that is in full swing and increasingly preparing to expand its borders to new markets. Memoria combines all these characteristics through innovative design, quality production and marketing.

Inspiration

It is aesthetically based on a maximalist or brutalist trend, but at the same time with a formal essence of a minimalist concept, Sergio Sesmero's furniture proposal contains an intellectual and cultural narrative, inspired by the Hegelian dialectic applied in Magritte's work. Thereby, a dialogue between revelation and concealment is created, all with the aim for the object to overcome its aesthetic, and creating a new one as a conclusion.

Project Duration

The project, started in Madrid, Spain, in September 2019 and finished in September 2020 in Madrid, Spain.

Operation Flow

By creating an aura that evokes mystery, questionability and reflection on the object beyond its pure functionality, Memoria plays with the senses, confusing at first the user and, in turn, showing different interpretations, narratives and stories depending on the circumstance and context of the user. Memoria responds questions, but generates new ones, creating a dialogue between opposites that are in a common point, expressing a simile of what happens nowadays and in today's society.

Image Credits

Sergio Sesmero