Designed by Palma and NULA.STUDIO architecture firms, Fake Realness is the installation proposed at the Urvanity Art Fair 2023 in Madrid – this year in its 7th edition. Staged at the College of Architects, the ephemeral architecture investigates the limits of reality and material fiction, exploring innovative materials in collaboration with flooring brand TARKETT.
The space is characterised by a series of suspended vinyl fabric panels in pink hues that seem to be made of stone: fitted with seams and only a few millimetres thick, they float lightly in the environment, tricking the visitor and confusing real with artificial. “We used a flooring material as a curtain and achieved a stone-like appearance with a mere 2 mm thickness” explains Miguel Galiano of NULA to Ouvert.
The tendency toward imitation may result from a lack of material culture and an excess of visual influence
Through the installation, the designers question the role and use of new materials. “The tendency toward imitation may result from a lack of material culture and an excess of visual influence” says Galiano. “We are a generation overstimulated by images and this visual comfort often does not extend beyond the physical relevance of objects, their materiality, properties and quality”. The paradox is to produce innovative materials in order to imitate natural materials, entrusting them with properties that the original material will never have.
“There is also a desire for appearance, for possessing items that would typically be beyond our reach” Galiano continues. “This is where the success of imitation originates, and it is also applicable to many contemporary materials, they possess a remarkable mimetic capability. We should question why we desire a wooden floor or a stone countertop, whether it is for their technical properties, natural origin, scent, or simply their appearance”.
