Mass Tables

Using cork as an aggregate material and high quality hard plaster as a binder, Odd Matter Studio developed a new technique combining the soft and light nature of cork with the rigidity and strength of gypsum. The Mass Tables are currently exhibited at the Aybar Gallery in Miami, USA.

  Traditionally the foremost use for cork has been in bottle stoppers (approximately 80% of the total production) but since the introduction of the screw-top wine bottle and developments in synthetic replacements, the demand for cork has been in decline to the point that in some places (for instance in Portugal’s certain regions) its production has nearly disappeared, along with the knowledge of maintaining the forest and the skill of harvesting the trees. The cork granules are part of the basic cork harvest and drying process, where the unsold pieces or leftovers get granulated.

For Mass, the designers added two different cork sizes to the plaster which is then cast onto a smooth surface. By mixing these two materials the plaster’s qualities are enhanced: its volume increases along with structure and elasticity, and weight is reduced. The cork becomes visible only when the surface is sanded, resembling a terrazzo surface.

Mass Tables
Design: Odd Matter Studio
Year: 2017