An unorthodox new concept is being laid out in the tile industry. Léa Mazy, a French designer, has taken the often ignored and discarded low-on-ink printing cartridges and shown that the last few drops still contain beauty. Using ‘fatigue’ as a source of inspiration she explores how this concept, when applied to machinery, can produce something unexpectedly spectacular.
In turn, this attempt at re-imagining our perception of ‘faulty’ machine-made products can lower our expectations of perfection and instead allow us to see something much more interesting. As the demand for unique, hand-made, and varied interiors is rising year on year, this undertaking couldn’t be more relevant. Thanks to Léa Mazy’s special interest in items often discarded or taken for granted, the fading ink in large-scale production systems is transformed from the overlooked to the desired.
This aim, to challenge mass production and the standards it holds products to, is admirable. Taking advantage of the imperfect and giving it the spotlight is a logical and positive step in a world that selectively appreciates nuance and individuality. Fortunately the tile industry is the place to benefit from variety and with support from Florim Ceramiche it is hoped that manufacturers will take heed, find an advantage amongst fatigue, and cease prematurely discarding used cartridges.
To showcase the aesthetics of fatigue Léa Mazy demonstrates colour, shade, and saturation variation with a printing process of her design. The lines, faltering and staggered, show how beautiful fading ink can be. This is only the beginning for the innovative designer, and her keen eye is sure to discover a bounty of unlocked potential over the coming years.
A new post by Hanna Simpson, Diary of a Tile Addict, July 2019.
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