Optical Trips is a tiles collection comprises four different ranges (Vertice, Traverso, Mediana, Eccentrica,), all of which share the common feature of having a single square module (a single input) which, whether arranged randomly or by following the suggested laying patterns, results in different outputs – configurations and decorations that differ wildly from one another.
The collection is very flexible and it can be used in different contexts, both for floors and walls.
“Vertice” presents two different vertices two different vertices which, when juxtaposed, can result in six different shapes. “Traverso” is arranged along the diagonals of the square and is perhaps the most iconic, both in the random version and in the established laying patterns and ‘metamorphoses’, where they gradually transition from one shape to another. In “Mediana”, the two segments that join together the sides at the halfway point overlap, resulting in a line ‘above’ and a line ‘below’, which is fundamental in differentiating the patterns it creates. “Eccentrica” is simply a rectangle that is off centre from the external perimeter, with the proportions of the four margins different from one another.
Optical Trips is simply the latest step in the evolution of broader work on modules that Meneghello Paolelli Studio has been pursuing for some time and which, in recent years, has resulted in creating a number of projects for Bardelli (Zip), Escofet (EXA) and Horm (Infinity).
All of these projects are cut from the same cloth, in that they are all born out of our desire to focus on research into the module, the minimised surface area which leads to the creation of complex, ever-changing layouts and which uses repetition and juxtaposition as the key to understanding a more structured programme. Essentially, the project transformed into a trip exploring the endless possibilities of geometry (hence the name), moving in two directions: inwards and outwards (input and output).
On the one hand, a path of extreme simplification, seeking out the utmost possible geometric rigour: as such, the patterns consist exclusively of 90° and 45° straight lines and radii. On the other, an outward-looking perspective featuring an unexpectedly imaginative streak colouring the choice of combinations used..
Designed by Meneghello Paolelli Studio for MIPA
by AN shopfitting magazine no.178 ©
