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The R24 Coffee Table + Stool Are Weightless Strength Personified
Architect Paula Valentini, drawing on her background in art and urban planning, designed the sculptural R24 collection for GANDIABLASCO, which includes a low coffee table and a low stool. This collection explores textile architecture on a smaller scale, reflecting Valentini's interest in the weightlessness of objects held in space and the potential of structural fabrics. The R24 series aims to evoke a sense of evanescence, akin to a bailiff's wing, functioning as both useful objects and spatial art pieces.
Now integrated into GANDIABLASCO's outdoor furniture catalog, the R24 collection was developed in collaboration with the Museum of Contemporary Art of Buenos Aires (MACBA), inspired by its geometric abstraction collection. The design challenge involved creating furniture that is both remarkably light and exceptionally strong. Valentini achieved this by focusing on an ethereal support structure, dematerializing edges and substructures, and avoiding bracing rings to create an illusion of continuous form. This approach results in varying degrees of opacity, and when stacked, the stools create a kaleidoscopic, sculptural effect.
Valentini highlights that the R24 series is characterized by its open and slender weave, and its surprising capacity to support a weight nearly a hundred times its own. The R24 coffee table and stool are handcrafted in India, utilizing 5 mm diameter stainless steel rods that are meticulously bent, intertwined, and arranged to form a robust, structured pattern. The firm structure is achieved through a specialized weaving technique. The curves of the pieces are initially bent in a single plane, then organized and woven around an absent pyramidal body. This braiding process ensures that the threads interlace, creating a two-level mesh that effectively distributes stress.
The coffee table and stool can be customized with thermo-lacquer finishes, available in GANDIABLASCO's standard color palette. The stool also offers an optional upholstered cushion, handmade in India, featuring a Gravidry® filtering polyurethane foam base and a wadding layer. These materials provide enhanced tactile comfort, breathability, and quick-drying properties, making the pieces suitable for outdoor use.
The original R24 piece, designed in 2017 for MACBA's program for the elderly, was supported by Mecenazgo Cultural de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. This initiative underscored design's role as a functional tool to address the needs of older individuals. The design subsequently received recognition as a finalist in the 8th Ibero-American Design Bienal, showcasing its innovative approach and practical application.
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