Cevisama Trade Fair

Everybody loves school trips, yet as you become older they become less and less frequent. This week I had the excitement of going to a trade fair as part of my 'Innovation and Design' module. First week of term and we're already getting stuck in with excursions, I like this very much already!

The Cevisama trade fair is for the ceramic industry, specifically tiles and such like. I have pretty much non existent knowledge of bathroom/kitchen interiors, so went along with a typical English 'gung-ho' attitude!

Our task was to choose a product or company that we found innovative and interesting. With this fair being one of the biggest in Europe, there was no shortage of options!

I liked this company's use of different geometric shapes to form appealing dividers and panels. The colours as well were nicely Mediterranean and rustic to my eye.

Of course China had to have THE biggest stand, with 'attractive' Western faces adorning their huge tiles, encouraging your purchase!

I need these mosaic beauties in my life.

Alttoglass is the company I have decided to work with for my assignment. They are a local Spanish firm with a strong international market, specialising in, surprise surprise, tiles! But they have a pretty awesome product...

These are special glow in the dark tiles. They contain a photo-luminescent pigment that has a myriad of applications. The most common use is in swimming pools, however they are diversifying and now advertise these tiles for use in kindergartens and children's rooms for a soft safety glow.

 As recommended by our tutor, I attended a seminar by Xavier Mañosa on the work of the craftsman and the story of his company. He spoke ridiculously fast Spanish, and I was rather distracted by his crazy awesome ringlet hair!

His father, also a potter, set him the challenge of copying a vase as a lesson on how to use the wheel and get a proper feel for the clay. Even though he had been working for years, it took him 35 attempts..... "if at first you don't succeed"...

In the central area was an exhibition on "Trans/Hitos" showing 'construction of new spaces tailored to the Earth and the people that live there'. Basically, there were 2 large domes and one square ring, all adorned internally with fact-files for the budding architect.

I had a great time wandering around, enjoying the free nibbles, and learning about a design sector which up until now I hadn't even spared a though about! I now feel much wiser and ready to tackle this project! If you want to know more, check out this video and the Cevisama website.