A modular exhibition structure that combines colour, texture and sculptural form to showcase a timber product range.
The project marks the first collaboration between WMB studio and Make Liverpool, a collective of makers, fabricators and artisans. Based in warehouses in the north docks of the city, the space offers local makers flexible workshop and collaborative space.
Commissioned by Spanish timber product manufacturer FINSA, the project is an exhibition stand for the KBB 2018 event at Birmingham NEC, and is part of their push to directly connect designers, manufacturers and makers, and to further develop the concept of the fourth industrial revolution.
Conceptually the installation is conceived as a piazza containing a freestanding inhabited wall. On the piazza facing side, the wall presents a three-dimensional sculptural colour swatch, composed of a selection of colours, textures, woodgrains and veneers taken from the wider FINSA product range.
Panels are arranged as two gradients that alternate and intersect, juxtaposing colour with texture. The triangular cladding modules are rotated to create variations in light, shadow and depth, and encourage alternative perceptions of the surface finishes. On the rear side, the wall is carved to form three niches, each housing a prototype kitchen, with an additional opening acting as a threshold between the two sides.
The wall structure is crafted from raw redwood timber sections, contrasting with the factory-finished panels, and celebrating the elemental base material of all FINSA products.
Prefabricated for reuse at other trade events around Europe, the design is intended to allow full repurposing of all elements – The coloured triangular ‘pixels’ are to be converted into stools and benches for local organisations, whilst the structural cubes are to be reused as modular furniture, platforms, and display plinths.