Aesop Installation Brisbane and the Gold Coast

Date

Sept 2021

 

Client

Aesop

Overview

Aesop has long been on our radar for their support of individual designers. Their store fitouts always explore material ideas. They relate to their context and they celebrate natural materials or craft. 

 

The brand has just launched their Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Intense Serum which focuses on providing urban dwellers with a layer of protection on their skin. They asked if we'd like to design a series of installations for 3 stores to celebrate the range, with our inspiration to stem from the volumetric form of the cities we live in. A dream brief. 

 

Our response intended to strike somewhere between Bruatlism, Blade Runner, and Italian architectural lord Carlos Scarpa 

 

We fabricated blocks in 4 sizes of relating dimensions to allow for easy tessellation. Our formwork was lined with Ripple Iron which gives the blocks their wavy edge. This is our take on a standard interlocking concrete block (like lego yah) which makes stacking quicker, simpler and stronger. 

 

Ripple Iron is manufactured in Brisbane by local Architect (and personality) Russell Hall. Russell is known for his no bullshit views on environmental design, his wild material experimentation and his dry sense of humour. He is also known for this Ripple Iron, a roofing iron he manufactures at his Moorooka factory. It's like corrugated iron, only the corrugations are smaller. It's a very 'Queensland' material and we love Russell. Need we say more. 

 

The blocks are made of waste concrete, sourced as the over-pour (also called blow-out) from concrete pumps on building sites. To some blocks we added charcoal, beeswax and black oxide to create the tonal variation.

 

Due to the use of waste concrete, some our blocks were a little inperfect but Aesop being cool and just said this added to the Wabi-sabi vibe.

 

Cheers Aesop.

Team

Hunter Eccleston

Jack Hamilton

Ellie Farrington

Benjamin Emerton

Clare Kennedy