16th – 18th May 2014
Giving new voice to concrete. Italcementi at the MAXXI “do ut do” exhibition premiered the “Cementphone”, a design object combining sound and concrete.
Rome, May 16, 2014 – Premiered at the MAXXI, the Cementphone is a passive loudspeaker made of the innovative i.design Effix concrete. The exhibition “do ut do 2014 – Design for Hospice”, at its second appointment, is a fundraising initiative with the aim of supporting the Hospice Seràgnoli Foundationin Bologna
The Cementphone is a concrete outdoor speaker, creating a lively acoustic environment , through active voice interaction, or through passive interaction with a technological device. The item, developed and built at the Italcementi research and innovation center i.lab, was designed by Product Designer Francesca Rho and the Sound Designer Painé Cuadrelli and made of the progressive new material i.design Effix exploiting the acoustic properties of concrete. i.design Effix is an innovative high performance mortar used for non structural elements, moldings and decorative parts combining the durability of a cementitious material with the workability of a plastic material.
The Cementphone evokes the loudspeakers of the early twentieth century, such as gramophones and phonographs, reinterpreted for the contemporary world through an innovative product which overcomes the traditional idea of concrete a simple building material.
The item on display at the MAXXI consists of two Cementphones diffusing two complementary sound compositions created especially for the event and creating an impressive sound environment which redefines the boundaries of the surrounding space. The two compositions can be downloaded to mobile devices by scanning a QR code.
Press Release Italcementi al MAXXI: the Cementphone
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PERFORMANCE
