EXPOSICION LONDON %100 DESIGN -- OCTUBRE 2009 --
EXPOSICION BARCELONA ROCA GALLERY -- ABRIL 2010--
WATER THERAPY
The curative powers of water are an ancient wise. Water is a good therapy for back contracture, muscle strain and other diseases, as well as for hygiene and achieving inner serenity. But nevertheless water is claimed to have a wide range of health benefits for our body, nowadays water uses are certainly divided; the process of washing the body is entirely separated from the subsequent soak and meditation.
The project deals with water as hygienic and relaxing properties in depth, trying to combine both cleaning and relaxing in one action to connect the mind to the body and both to the power of nature.
NEW RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WATER AND BODY
Let´s imagine us, in a river or in the sea.The main feature to understand body sensations in these cases is that, our body is aware of water existence, because water is stored (in comparison with a shower space where water is hidden and appears suddenly when we actuate the tap). Thus, the first contact with water is a personal decision; either you dive in or you have a partial contact with water.
The project assumes the need of giving the user the power to decide whether to play with water or bathe in, and so, it pays special attention to the step by step dip in water.
NEW WAY OF TAKING A BATH
The usual way of bathing consists on pouring water in the bath and getting inside it. In this sense, the project proposes different ways of cleaning; one would be the classic way or a second one, taking the water from a well of water and pouring it to our body or to a specific part of it (imitating the actions of cleaning in a river), depending on our likes and needs. Bathing is a high relaxing activity, as water surrounds and touches slightly our body. But it has lack of hygienic purposes. The project offers both options in one, as one could have a cleaning step before diving in a relaxing bath. The body-cleaning action has been divided into 5 steps, depending on the body part to be cleaned. So, the water hole dedicated to cleaning head, hands, the upper side and the lower side of our body, the bottom or feet are different. This is the basic rule used to design the “eroded roca”.
ERODED ROCA
A rock that has been eroded due to water is evoked and suggests a natural way of cleaning and playing with water. The rock, as a porcelain object, has been sculpted to make cavities of different sizes and depths, depending on the function set to each hole.
NEW BATH SPACE
The object concentrates on itself all the functionalities. The object allows to reconsider the role of the perimeter of the bathrooms. Now is not necessary a perimeter of bathroom capable of sheltering the diverse pieces. The perimeter is liberated of this function. The central empty space and the perimeter occupied in a conventional bathroom that is defined by a centrifugal inertia can be inverted from this new object. The center is the object, which in turn is space, space of the water.
The “eroded roca” can the used by different people at the same time, supporting a natural relationship between body and water, which is consistent with the naturalism philosophy that followed the design.
The cavities have an integrated tap device, that when pushed, expels the amount of water needed. At the bottom of the cavity a hole is connected to the plumbing system, which has a mechanism to be opened when the user pushes it.
The design is flexible enough to take on more functional cavities, such as towel or cleaning products storing cavities.
SUSTAINABILITY
We are aware of the enormous value of water in our society. Water is a tool for health therapy and a big pleasure source, but design should try to minimize or control its waste. The water need for each activity proposed in the body washing sequence is measured and therefore, the water quantity would be limited, so that there is not a huge waste of water in each use. Besides this, the object has been thought together with a plate that gathers in the possible spilled water, to be re-used.
