Expanded Thinking at the Surface Design Show 2008

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7.30pm, 7th March 2007, London: A queue had formed along the gallery area of the Business Design Centre in Islington. The line consists of architects, designers, materials specialists, landscape gardeners and even librarians, but what proved to be such a draw? At first glance most would have assumed the throng had gathered for one of the CPD seminars which take place throughout the Surface Design Show, or perhaps one of the key speakers was about to address a young and eager audience. More likely still, the buzz could have been created by the announcement that the bar was now open! The source of the congestion was, in fact, the exhibition stand of The Expanded Metal Company. The modest 20 square metre display had been lovingly brought together to highlight just how sophisticated this often overlooked building material could be.

Since it''s invention in the latter half of the 19th century, expanded metal has been used throughout the built environment in a multitude of applications, as varied as they are numerous. Now in the 21st century, this unique material is reinventing itself as, not only something that strengthens and moulds, but as a dynamic and urbane material at the cutting edge of modern design. Examples of this can be seen in projects such as the Museum of Contemporary Art in New York, the Young Vic Theatre in London and MIMA in Middlesbrough.

Building on the success of the 2007 show, The Expanded Metal Company have a larger exhibition space at the 2008 event. It will again be filled with a selection of different mesh types made from many different materials, complimented by new and innovative finishes. Some new lighting effects and visual presentations reflecting the themes of "Expanding Worlds" and "Expanded Thinking", will make a revisit essential for those that enjoyed the display in 2007.


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