Bench – Exhibit for the Kalamourgiki Memorial Museum in Livadia
Within the framework of the cooperation of the Larnaca Tourism Development and Promotion Company, the Municipality of Livadia, the Youth Makerspace Larnaka of the Cyprus Youth Organization and the Larnaca Archives of Phoebus Stavridis and with the support of the Deputy Ministry of Tourism, an innovative construction was created for the Kalamurgiki Memorial Museum in Livadia.
The Youth Makerspace Larnaka team, and specifically the product designer Konstantinos Harilaou, was asked to design and build a bench to be placed outside the aforementioned Museum to give it character and attract visitors and young people to the space.
The creators decided to combine the traditional art of reed-making – that is, reeds and mats – with a more modern and modern material, resin. For the three-dimensional design of the structure, the starting point was the section of the traditional ton chairs, which was “transformed” into a bench. The main inspiration for the construction was the American sculptor, of French origin, Armand Fernandez who became known for his use of everyday objects that express the reality of his time. The ultimate goal of the creation was to “freeze” the reed and its deterioration in time, creating the illusion for the visitor that the reed-making materials are floating.
An important addition is the lighting of the construction through the integrated Arduino Uno programming board which automatically changes the color of the bench every certain time. The colors chosen are yellow, which refers to the color of the traditional accent chair, pink, and green since right behind the bench there is the bougainvillea creeper. During the year, the construction will change color automatically through the Arduino Uno board, depending on the season when the bougainvillea blooms.
It is worth noting that the initiative of ETAP Larnaca, the Municipality of Livadia, the Youth Makerspace Larnaka of the Cyprus Youth Organization, and the Larnaca Archives of Phoebus Stavridis is pioneering in Cypriot terms. The successful design and combination of materials was achieved after carrying out various tests and experiments of the resin and electronic additives with the traditional materials.
The public can see the new construction in the outdoor area of the Kalamurgi Memorial Museum in Livadia, where they can get to know in depth the history of this traditional art of our island, which is included in the UNESCO National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
