Beyond the grey

An unusual initiative aims to put cement in the spotlight

Cement has always been behind the scenes. Used in most of the structures and products we see around, but smacked on with paint to make it visually appealing. The commodity has, however, been dealt an artistic makeover with the recently launched, Craft Bèton Collection 2017. Acclaimed designers and sculptors have successfully experimented with the hitherto banal material to make glamorous products of home décor and jewellery among others.

A Dalmia Bharat Group initiative, Craft Bèton was born out of the need to make cement more exciting and exploit it to its full potential. “Generally people see cement as a boring, grey material. But if you look at it, cement is a very versatile material, ” says Sundeep Kumar, executive director, corporate affairs and communications, Dalmia Bharat Group.

More than concrete

The initiative began as an artists residency programme with applications being accepted from across the globe. Of these, the final designers to come on board were Iti Tyagi and Somesh Singh from India, Miroslaw Baca from Poland and Alan Saga from Mexico. The artists then experimented with cement in Craft Village – a facility centre for artists and designers, based out of New Delhi – for a total period of four months. The only brief given to the artists was to create products that were not just high on the design quotient but were also utility-based. “We didn’t want pure art. We wanted functional products that people could use in their homes,” adds Kumar. Some of the collection on offer includes home décor (bar stools, wall lamps and ash trays), kitchen-ware (coasters, platters, fruit baskets and spice racks) and even jewellery (neck pieces, rings and earrings)

Tricky affair

The one thing common to all four designers was that none of them had worked with cement before. The artists underwent a month-long training to understand the basic characteristics of the material and how they could experiment with it. “If you put a lot of pressure on cement, it breaks and if you put less pressure, you don’t get the desired shape,” explains designer Iti Tyagi, who is also the founder of Craft Village. “Cement is not very mouldable. It develops cracks very easily; it responds differently to different temperatures as well. So we had to do a lot of research on those aspects ,” says Tyagi. Similarly, the artists dedicated a lot of attention to making the material firm and sturdy, by working on its curing, dryness and finishing among others.

According to designer Somesh Singh, important thing was to achieve the desired finish in the final products. “When you talk about the surface, the moment you look at cement, or anything that is cemented, you put your fingers on it to check if the cement comes off,” explains Singh. The artists thus developed a process to ensure their products had a near granite or marble-like finish.

As far as the retail aspect goes, the sale of items is being facilitated only by the Craft Bèton website. However, plans to collaborate with high-ends retail outlets are in the pipeline.

The products are priced between ₹ 3,500 and 1.5 lakh. For more details visit craftbeton.com or email contact@craftbeton.com.