Following on from their visual research into the textures and tactility of felt, the crew at Media.Work in Moscow pivot their CG powers to explore another ubiquitous material that we all take for granted.

Media.Work CDs Igor Sordokhonov and Dmitriy Ponomarev: “In this research, we examined the visual and structural complexity of foam and found new angles on this everyday material that adjusts to the objects with which it interacts and takes various complex shapes.

“Foam rubber is produced solely from liquid components. When substances are mixed, a large amount of gas is emitted, turning the mixture into foam. The result of this reaction is a polymer that, with the help of stabilizers, can trap air bubbles due to its structure consisting of long molecules.

In our exploration, we tried different aesthetic approaches to foam. It can be monumental, with high contrast between light and shadow, or quite small in scale, inspired by product photography.

“In modern manufacturing, these raw components are mostly derived from petrochemicals, however, there are efforts to find more sustainable alternatives.

“One of the natural materials that can form rubber is latex, a substance found in rubber trees. The resulting material is biodegradable and while it does not dissolve in water, it can be broken down by bacteria.

“Another naturally-occurring component used in soft foam materials is starch. The resulting material is less durable and is mostly used in packaging, where a shorter lifetime is needed, but there is research into making it more stable.

“Altering the polymer that serves as a main component of the foam, engineers can produce a material that is resistant to high temperatures, has magnetic or antistatic properties.

“In our exploration, we tried different aesthetic approaches to foam. It can be monumental, with high contrast between light and shadow, or quite small in scale, inspired by product photography.

“We also examined different kinds of material, such as heterogenous foam and ‘memory’ structure that allows the foam to return to a particular shape when exposed to specific conditions.”

Shop art prints by Media.Work here.
 

 
Production: Media.Work
Creative Director: Igor Sordokhonov, Dmitriy Ponomarev
Art Director: Anna Reshetnikova
Designer/Animator: Denis Semenov, Tatyana Balyberdina, Sergey Shurupov, Kirill Makhin, Roman Eltsov, Pavel Pitaev, Dmitriy Ponomarev, Daniil Makhin, Roman Kuzminykh, Alexey Schipachev
Editor: Pavel Pitaev
Graphic Designer: Anastasia Suryaninova
Text: Anna Gulyaeva

Sound: Artyom Markaryan