Prophecies of Dust
During Dutch Design Week, we will be introducing you to the festival’s Hidden Gems. Special locations who we feel are the stand-outs of this edition.
Bricks in the digital era
Studio Groovido challenge the brick, adding layers of lightness, movement and personality. To reach this purpose they explore the digital spaces of RPG games.
Innovation
Thanks to a recent technological breakthrough in the coarse ceramic industry, it is now possible to add a unique design to the stretch of a ceramic facing brick. The innovative development of this technology, developed and realized by the company RODRUZA, gives the brick new aesthetic dimensions.
Design Research
The design studio has researched the evolution of ‘UV Mapping’, the process of projecting a 2D picture on the pixel unit of a 3D digital model. Following it’s historical development, from Retro and Arcade RPG games to Voxel Art and Minecraft, until the most recent Sandbox Metaverse, it is possible to observe the timeless aesthetic of the pixel. Over the years the brick, as well as the pixel, became more than a merely structural element, and added to his function a symbolic value. Overlaying the brick pattern with coloured pigments and glazes allows the duo to break the traditional masonry grid, and create imaginative surfaces for the furniture brick collection.
Exhibition
The result of this research is an immersive exhibition where the pieces of furniture stand as landmarks in the almost 600m2 grote zaal of TAC, Eindhoven. The viewer is free to explore the space, just like in an open map video game. The player at this point is projected into an RPG game complete with soundtrack music experience created by Richard van Kruysdijk, lighting installation, digital map, props shop, dungeon and much more to discover.
About Studio Groovido
Gianmaria & Giorgio first met in Eindhoven where they both attended the master degree in Contextual Design at Design Academy of Eindhoven. In 2019, they joined forces creating Studio Groovido. They don’t define themselves only as designers or artists, but their practice and work are on the verge of both. They believe in the poetry and narrative power of things. Their latest projects are focused on digital culture and its relationship with the physical world.
Prophecies of Dust
Dutch Design Week
TAC, Vonderweg 1
22 – 30 October, 2022
www.ddw.nl/prophecies-of-dust