7th December 2006

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An exciting and innovative new product developed by a University of Ulster Professor of Architecture and a textile designer will be revealed tonight as part of a major arts project.

Girli Concrete is a unique material that transforms concrete into an exciting and tactile material, by combining it with delicate materials such as lace, velvet and pearls. 

Professor of Architecture Ruth Morrow and textile designer Trish Belford from the School of Art and Design have employed a variety of innovative techniques to create the new material.

Girli Concrete will be launched at the Switch Room Gallery in Belfast tonight as part of an ongoing arts project entitled I Confess I Was There……… organised by the University’s Interface initiative which aims to bring art and the community closer together. 

Professor Ruth Morrow said: “We are seeking to bring the technologies of concrete and textiles together in one product in an integrated format. This is not simply about printing or imprinting on to the surface of concrete, but working with the structure of the substance to create a tactile end product.”

The team have created a variety of samples that include concrete mixed with lace, velvet, pearls and a variety of other textiles. The reaction from industry leaders has been positive. 

“The applications for this material could be for walls or tiles. It’s a process that could be used right across any building product line. We think it is prime process for bespoke one-off elements, it could be used for a bar area or in foyer or for very special sort of wall,” says Trish Belford

“We’ve also thought about using our lava-lace designs (a combination of concrete and lace), as a reference to Georgian architraves, its very delicate and quite sculptural. Its like the lace is growing out of the concrete. We are putting odd materials together in a kind of strange way. We are working very much in an artisan approach but with production in mind some time in the future.” 

Professor Morrow added: “This project is also about challenging the production of concrete elements which are mostly done to a technical specification but our challenge is to introduce a human performance spec into the production of concrete elements so that there is also a kind of physical response and an aesthetic response to the material rather than just whether or not it actually functions.

“The main goal is that we ultimately produce a series of really beautiful, amazing and innovative products. It would be fantastic if we were asked to go and visit a new building or a new centre and given a space and asked to produce something specifically for that space based around the techniques that we’ve got. 

“We mix two industries which are at the heart of Northern Ireland, textiles and construction. This project looks at two industries and brings that knowledge and skill together in a way that’s really unique, it roots the University within that local tradition.”

The launch of Girli Concrete is part of a series of events taking place in November and December at the Switch Room Gallery. 

I Confess I Was There……… organised by the University’s Interface initiative, aims to bring art and the community closer together.

Interface Director, Professor Declan McGonagle said: “This is an area of working that is emerging within international arts practice, especially within younger artists who are interested in finding a way to connect art and society. 

“Historically there has been a separation between contemporary art practice and the general public and society at large. There is a feeling that artists are eccentric, distant, that what they are doing really has nothing to do with the general public, and is a very special, exclusive experience.

“A lot of the artists involved in the I Confess project are working against this idea and trying to find new forms of art and new ways of negotiating that relationship within a community context or public space.  

“What we are doing is bringing together some of the key practitioners and organisations who work in this area. We are presenting some archive material from these organisations which represent this form of socially engaged arts practice.

“There are all sorts of different ways we are connecting with the city and the community through this project – that broadly is our objective.” 

I Confess That I Was There: Art, Archives and Locations including the Girli Concrete exhibition, runs at the Switch Room Gallery, Little Patrick Street, Belfast, until mid December.

Further details available at: http://interface.rehabstudio.co.uk/ 

For further information, please contact:

Trina Porter
Telephone: 028 71675511
Email: Trina Porter