*Florian Schmid

I first heard about Concrete Cloth whilst enjoying a few drinks with friends last summer. At the time I was briefly introduced to a friend of a friend who was involved in the development of the material at their headquarters near Pontypridd. Unfortunately, no doubt due to my alcoholically enhanced state of being at the time, the mental note I made to myself to investigate this material further slipped my mind.

However, I’ve just stumbled across this project, Stitching Concrete, by Florian Schmid which has brought the material back to my attention.

*Florian Schmid

Concrete Cloth is a material that shares both the quality of traditional textiles and industrial concrete. It is a flexible material that is supplied by the roll but once watered it will set and harden almost completely providing strength and stability akin to a concrete structure. Once hardened Concrete Cloth is extremely durable and apparently waterproof, fireproof, and resistant to UV.

Florian Schmid is an industrial designer from Germany who developed these household stools in order to explore the contrasts between the materials qualities. My fascination with this material aside I think Schmid’s objects are quite beautiful successfully balancing the references to the material’s roots in both craft and the industrial.

I’ll certainly be seeing if I can get my hands on a small sample of Concrete Cloth to experiment with. Prices are apparently only available by contacting the company at he moment so I’ll keep my fingers crossed that it’s not priced out of my reach.

More information is avaialble at www.concretecanvas.co.uk