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(Archive) PROPHECIES OF DUST

Bricks in the digital era

This project was part of DDW 2022
Prophecies of dust, stools — © mathijs labadie

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.

Prophecies of dust, poster — © Marcel de Buck