#experimentadesign

extrastudio together with ydreams prepared “Imaterial”, an interactive installation for the opening night of Experimentadesign 05, at the Lisbon City Museum.

Assuming that built matter is urban life’s media, this project questions people’s relationship with the city. Challenging the citizen’s inhibition regarding interventions in heritage buildings, an opportunity is given to interact with them, altering their surface immaterially. Without any external stimuli interventions of different contexts are projected questioning the material understanding of these buildings. The outside surface of a heritage site was selected to display images originated by a projector peripheral to a computer connected to camera working as a sensor.

Integrating the Tangential Projects of 2005′s edition of ExperimentaDesign, Lisbon’s design Biennale, extrastudio developed a material that bonds both vegetable and inorganic in one single element. The organic concrete project is the result of the progressive questioning of the differentiation of natural and artificial condition on several projects. Taking advantage of the humidity retained in the concrete, the material works as a battery, releasing water over the dry periods. As a surface, the organic concrete appears as a permeable living surface, reintroducing a natural component on urban public spaces.

Celebrating 60 years as Portugal’s Flagship Carrier, TAP and Experimentadesign commissioned extrastudio, Krvkurva, Gonçalo Prudêncio, Cal design, Fluor, Rui Gato, and other firms to reinvent their corporate image presenting it in the exhibition TAP TRANSIT, open until the April 31st in the Lisbon City Museum.

A new exclusive material was developed: weightless and self bearing, in order to obtain a complete new surface as strong visually, as in terms of its materiality, made to re-think TAP’s lounge concept. Joining several layers of GRP with an internal polymer, a translucent, self structural composite panel was obtained, its appearance delicate and intriguing, capturing people’s attention to the lounge’s contents.

Temporary spaces will be built inside airports in any of TAP destinations in Europe, America and Africa, sheltering people from the overall activity but allowing them to perceive partially the surrounding environment. In all destinations the privileges of a flagship carrier lounge will be accessible for all passengers, complementing boarding spaces with programs like reading, internet, television, playing or cafes, reminding people they’re almost home.