A sculpture-stool by Paula Valentini for GANDIABLASCO

R24 is a collection designed by Argentinian architect Paula Valentini, created in the course of an exchange with the Museum of Contemporary Art of Buenos Aires and its collection of geometric abstraction. These pieces, which are now included in our GANDIABLASCO outdoor furniture catalogue with only two elements, respond to the challenge of creating low stools and side tables that are as light as they are resistant. With R24’sversatility we contribute to create spaces to enjoy the outdoor environment accompanying from the subtlety of its fabric in a single material.

left: Paula Valentini designer | right: R24 collection

R24 designs are handcrafted in India. Using 5 mm diameter stainless steel rods bent, intertwined and arranged, in a structured pattern, a weave is used to create a firm structure into a continuous skin. “The curves that make up the pieces are bent in the same plane. Then, the elements are organized and woven around the absent pyramidal body. The braiding manages to bring the threads into contact with each other and create a two-level mesh that distributes the stresses in solidary manner”, Valentini explains. The innovation of R24 lies in its ethereal support, achieved by dematerializing edges and substructures and avoiding the bracing rings to achieve continuity. The result is pieces that generate degrees of opacity and, in the particular case of the stools, emulate a kaleidoscopic and sculptural image when stacked.

R24 construction sketches

As far as finishes are concerned, the R24 elements can be powder-coated in all the standdard tones of our GANDIABLASCO colour chart. On the one hand, the low stool functions as a support commodity and is available with or without an upholstered cushion -also handmade in India-, composed of a base of Gravidry® filtering polyurethane foam and a layer of wadding on the surface, so as to achieve a tactile and comfortable feel when sitting while at the same time obtaining breathability and quick-drying properties without the need to remove the covers. On the other hand, the low coffee table comes from the expansion of the support surface and the consequent inversion of the geometric volume of the original stool. This element has an extra-clear tempered glass top that is attached to the structure by means of Velcro.

Valentini’s vision of design fuses her training as an architect and an extensive background in fields such as art and urban planning. In R24 she investigates the possibility of constructing a textile architecture on a small scale. “The image of the weightlessness of bodies held in space and the intention to explore structural fabrics became the guiding light of the project. Through R24 I evoke sensations and images like the evanescence of a bailiff’s wing. It is a useful object and it is also a work in space”, explains.

Recognized as a finalist in the 8th Ibero-American Design Biennial —product design category— the original R24 piece was designed in 2017 in the context of MACBA‘s program for the elderly supported by Mecenazgo Cultural de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. This initiative highlights design as a functional tool to provide a museographic solution to the needs of the elderly, with R24 being an interpretation of the concept of the bench to enhance its identity as a place of connection. Since then, it has become another piece in the museum and accompanies it in many of its activities.

DATA SHEET

Year: 2023
Designer: Paula Valentini
Materials: Made of powder-coated stainless steel rod. Handmade. Tabletop in glass.
Colours: White, Agate grey, Sand, Gold, Bronze, Wine red, Blue grey, Grey blue, Night blue, Cement grey, Bottle green, Quartz grey, Anthracite, Black.
Composition: Asiento de espuma de poliuretano filtrante Gravidry®.
Fabrics: Náutica
Products and measures:

Low stool: length: 42 cm 17″ | width: 42 cm 17″ | height: 47 cm 19″
Low coffee table: length: 60 cm 24″ | width: 60 cm 24″ | height: 41 cm 16″