PALMA fills archivo gallery in mexico with a sea of shredded plastic

head over to the archivo diseño y arquitectura in mexico city and you’ll find its floor carpeted in a thick layer of shredded plastic. the multicolored sea of shingle is part of a new exhibition that’s part of the run up to mexico city’s imminent appointment as the world design capital in 2018. 

the sea of shingle is part of the run up to the city’s official appointment as the world design capital in 2018
image by luis young, courtesy of PALMA (also main image)

emerging architecture studio PALMA are the minds behind the intricate flooring, in collaboration with eugenio rebolleda. the firm conceived the design as a socially conscious and thoughtful frame for the various collections that will be exhibited in the space. archivo gallery will play host to a major three-part exhibition entitled ‘mexico design city’ over the next two years. divided into three parts, the exhibition will excavate the past, present and future of design in the mexican capital, beginning with the present: ‘mexico design city — present (MXCD01)’. 

emerging architecture firm PALMA are the minds behind the intricate flooring
image by luis young, courtesy of PALMA

MXCD01 gathers both young and established designers, as well as artists, makers and informal creators, emphasizing the diversity and contradictions of the local creative and productive scene. the 30 artists exhibiting as part of the event will be divided into three distinct groups: ‘informal inventives’, the techno-pirates and aesthetic shakers who turn to appropriation and reuse as a strategy of of creative dissent; ‘new craftsmanship’, the new-wave creators embracing small scale traditional production methods; and ‘beyond function’, comprised of designers who put process over product. 

the series of exhibitions starts with MXCD01 — the present
image by luis young, courtesy of PALMA

all of this will play out on PALMA’s plastic beach. in its design, the firm wanted a space that could reflect the cultural chaos of mexico city. ‘here, collective culture thrives in a hostile and chaotic environment’, PALMA says of mexico city, ‘perhaps more because of necessity than conscience, our city has always opted for reuse and repair over waste. our exhibition display proposal portrays this turning point in shredded plastic. this material, which is no longer waste but not yet useful as raw material, evidences a decisive step for a new circular process: a crushed color palette where one can still read a history of consumption and recollection’.

MXCD01 gathers both young and established designers
image by luis young, courtesy of PALMA

the shredded plastic flows from the entrance, filling the width of the archivo gallery and allowing for a moment’s reflection on the exhibition as a whole before following the path inside. each display stands like a island in the sea of plastic, with routes here and there guiding the visitor through the collection. the interior space reaches briefly outside as the floor spills out onto the external pavilion, a place for guests to rest and enjoy the museum’s garden and pond. 

the firm conceived the design as a socially conscious and thoughtful frame for the various collections
image by pia riverola

each display stands like a island in the sea of plastic
image by pia riverola

in its design, PALMA wanted a space that could reflect the cultural chaos of mexico city
image by pia riverola

the collection emphasizes the diversity and contradictions of the local creative and productive scene
image by pia riverola

the material is no longer waste, but has yet to become a raw material
image by pia riverola

paths through the sea guide visitors from one gallery to the next
image by pia riverola

mexico beat curitiba and a handful of other cities for the coveted position
image by pia riverola

the exhibitions will take place over the course of the next two years
image by pia riverola

the plastic completely obscures the floor of the gallery
image by pia riverola

the interior space reaches briefly outside as the floor spills out onto the external pavilion
image by pia riverola

mexico city will be the sixth design capital, and the first city from the americas to receive the title
image by pia riverola

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