Floor plane becomes canvas for larger than life installation art
Spartanburg, S.C.— Milliken’s new floor covering collection, Art Media, is a library of patterns that reinterpret iconoclastic modern art techniques and media that include charcoal, chalk, graphite, action painting, drip painting, and the optical illusions of Op Art. A Best of NeoCon Gold award winner for modular carpet, it explores the boundaries of media art. In this new collection, the floor plane becomes a canvas for larger-than-life installation art or fine detail that feels like an intimate secret, through the use of advanced digital technology.
Designed by Cresta Bledsoe, Art Media consists of six patterns that offer a variety of quintessential modern art aesthetics in a range of scales that are completely versatile – from large focal point installation art to neutral and planar textural ground. An optional Canvas edge details can act as a border or transition.
The Art Media collection is comprised of three groupings of media:
- Charcoal/Chalk/Graphite – Reflect iconic techniques made famous by a small group of artists who rose to fame in the mid-20th century.
- Charcoal – Soft, but boldly gritty, Charcoal is a non-directional line work on a static ground that features a subtle striate in the background. Charcoal is the largest scale pattern and the only precision set ‘medallion’ pattern repeat in the collection.
- Chalk – Chalk is a medium-scale, rhythmic, continuous-flowing line made up of three linear layers of varying thickness, line weight and smudges. Chalk is a random multi-tile repeat.
- Graphite – A small scale pseudo-linear rhythmic pattern made up of three layers of varying thickness, line weight and smudges. Graphite is a random multi-tile repeat.
- Action Painting and Drip Painting – An iconic technique so unique it immortalized Jackson Pollack, a mid-century abstract expressionist.
- Action Painting – A large-scale dramatic gestural pattern, Action Painting refers to the use of the whole body to paint – not just a hand and brush. These paintings are created by moving around a large canvas on the ground and spattering paint from all sides to create a non-directional – but animated – paint texture. Action Painting is a multi-tile repeat.
- Drip Painting – The smaller scale of the two, Drip Painting is an abstract art in which the paint is dripped onto the canvas using unconventional tools, such as sticks or hardened brushes. This technique creates a unified overall pattern that allows the eye to travel across the whole canvas – or floor plane in this instance. Drip Painting is a random pattern with no pattern repeat – every tile is unique.
- Op Art – Op Art was a modern art movement influencing major trends, such as Bauhaus and the De Stijl movement, but hit iconoclastic status in the mid-century. It focuses on illusion or optical tricks. When viewed, the impression is given of movement, hidden images, flashing, vibrating, swelling or warping. Op Art is a random multi-tile repeat.
Each grouping explores variety and qualities of graphic lines, while capturing the essence of its related media through minuscule and rich detail. Patterns are large repeats in varying scales with optional accessory patterns that showcase the canvas edge of the art. All are intended as monolithic installations.
Construction
- The tip-sheared 27-ounce construction is created through multiple yarn infusion (MYI®) that creates dense performing constructions with multiple ends of yarn through a single needle.
- Fibers with various lusters and a randomized tip shear give the construction a rich and handmade aesthetic.
- Art Media is offered in 1Mx1M modular tiles
The modularity and ability to randomize on a large scale is as integral to the art as the details of the technique and media. Continuous lines in large repeats create grand installation experiences.
Advanced print technology
The majority of the patterns employ Milliken’s unique approach to large-scale pattern, allowing for precise tile edge-to-edge pattern match, while the tile centers vary. In addition to this being innovative, as it is unique to advanced print technology, the benefits are abundant.
- Offers the capability to create much larger scale and repeat in pattern
- Is easy to install due to the ability to lay any tile next to one another
- Allows for infinite installation scenarios, making each application a truly original work of art
Sustainability features
- Milliken’s proprietary digital print technology uses less chemicals and water and yields less waste compared to other available technologies.
- All products are NSF 140 certified and third-party certified carbon neutral.
- Art Media contains 25% recycled content.
Additionally, Art Media is PVC-free and manufactured by Milliken, a carbon negative carpet company that meets aggressive goals, including zero waste, carbon negative and green energy initiatives. The collection contributes to LEED and other green building certifications.
According to Barbara Haaksma, vice president of design and marketing for Milliken’s global floor covering division, each technique responds to the canvas in a different manner – simplified forms of abstraction, fluid continuous lines, as well as the absence of defined positive or negative space.
“Through the Art Media collection, we treat the floor plane as a giant canvas where installation size has no limitation, allowing designers to view ‘space’ in new and different manners,” said Haaskma. “By combining both science and design, our clients are free to think and feel differently about the role flooring can play in commercial interiors.”