Digitally Printed SILENCIO®—A Sound-Absorbing Technical Textile From PONGS®—Brings Desert Landscapes To The City

Image Courtesy of PONGS®

The London architects Tomaso Boano and Jonas Prišmontas bring desert landscapes into the city: their spectacular installation Alphabet was exhibited by the two designers at the Crate Brewery in Hackney.

For this, photographs of the original work of art – freestanding portals on the headland of Dungeness on the coast of Kent in the southeast of England – on a scale of 1: 1, like large windows overlooking an infinite landscape, were attached to the white brick walls of the brewery.

“The aesthetic result is not the only benefit. The works of art were printed on a special canvas – SILENCIO®, a sound-absorbing technical textile by PONGS® – using Mimaki’s UV printing technology (dimensions of the large-format works of art 2.5 x 9.5 meters and 2.5 x 3.6 meters). The acoustic properties of the fabric help to improve the quality of the room by absorbing the sounds of the living crowds, “says Boano.

 “In addition, the use of UV printing technology is consistent with the initial goals of our installation and is committed to sustainability and respect for the environment, which is central to our vision.”

The project perfectly combines interior design, art and cutting-edge technology. 

When architects and designers Tomaso Boano and Jonas Prišmontas, owners at London-based architectural firm Boano Prišmontas, were asked to exhibit their landscape installation, Alphabet, at Crate Brewery in Hackney, they initially planned to stage an existing project.

 However, after visiting the space, they were inspired to push the boundaries of creativity at the venue.

 The traditional white brick walls of the brewery – normally used as a blank base for hanging small pictures or paintings – could be turned into large windows on an infinite landscape to take the experience of urban Londoners to the next level.

Only one piece of the puzzle was missing: how to decorate such large walls with 1:1 scale landscape pictures?

The solution came from digital printing technology by Mimaki.

It all started off in the headland of Dungeness, on the coast of Kent, South East England.

“We aimed to convert some school desks that we collected from the street into an art piece, as we liked the idea of giving new value to items destined for landfill. We disassembled and reassembled them to create a series of structures that we then placed against the vast plane of that deserted area,” explains Boano. “We ended up creating a spectacular installation, with sleek free-standing portals to the gravel and shell beach of the headland under a grey sky, which we then decided to bring into the city.”

After a couple of exhibitions at art galleries in London – with the installation consisting of the structures combined with small-format pictures of the original art piece at Dungeness – Tomaso Boano and Jonas Prišmontas decided to take up a new challenge at Crate Brewery. “When we visited the location, we envisioned transforming those large white walls into the infinite landscape of Dungeness.

The longest opposite walls could be decorated with 1:1 landscape pictures of the original installation, with the structures standing against the shorter wall of the room.”

Boano Prišmontas had come up with a strong design concept that could both transform the space at the brewery and further enhance the value of their piece of art. What they needed then was finding a way to make it happen.

“Prior to the Alphabet project we had been in contact with Mimaki and had heard about their large format printers. Therefore, we decided to get in touch with the company and see if they would like to be part of this event. And they did,” explains Prišmontas.

Owners at Crate Brewery are so enthusiastic about the Alphabet installation that they decided to extend the exhibition – initially set to last one month – by another month.

“We always try to challenge our clients with projects that go beyond their requirements and when they like the result to the point of changing their original plans, we know we achieved something great,” states Prišmontas.

“The project at Crate Brewery perfectly combines interior design, art and state-of-the-art technology. In fact, we have re-designed the space – with some architectural crafting involved when installing the printed artworks.