Exotic Edge Acrylic Sheet To Illuminate Art
Project Description
Customized Art Display Is One-of-a-Kind Petaluma, CA-based Architectural Plastics uses an arsenal of plastics to custom manufacture and design parts, products and displays for museums, private art collections, banks, hotels and medical customers. To meet a rather distinctive design need of a private art collector, Pierre Miremont, owner of Architectural Plastics, turned to Exotic Edge ACRYLITE® acrylic sheet. This product, manufactured by acrylics manufacturer Evonik Cyro LLC, has a prism-like quality, appearing colorless until viewed from its edge. Because the customer desired a striking yet transparent display for glass artwork, the aesthetic and functional properties of the Exotic Edge ACRYLITE sheet made it ideal. Shelving fabricated from the tinted edge material would not be lost within the collector’s chique home décor, as would colorless shelving. However, the clear display would not draw attention away from the art object on exhibit. The color balance was not the only intricate design requirement posed to Architectural Plastics. The customer wanted the display case to portray a separation impression, so that a clear border appeared to divide two colored borders. Miremont achieved this look by placing a four-sided cube of Exotic Edge ACRYLITE sheet within a larger cube of the same material. Gluing the acrylic sheet on the front and back panels completely encased the inner cube. However, to allow the artwork to be placed, rotated and easily cleaned, a piece was carved out of the front panel so the entire face of the inner cube was open. While the space between the two cavities was completely enclosed, the artwork was fully accessible. [More information ...]
The optical illusion of the double border would not have been possible with other materials. “You could silicone glass, but it wouldn’t look as good,” notes Miremont. “It would be obvious that two pieces were glued together.” The unusual look is possible with acrylic, which allows for an invisible adhesive seam. Ease of Installation Although the elaborate design required complex fabrication, the installation was facilitated by acrylic’s light weight. “Acrylic is half the weight of glass,” says Miremont. This permitted the case to be hung by clear cleats that did not compromise the display aesthetically. The male cleat was simply bolted into the wall to support the female cleat, mounted on the display unit. While the artwork display is itself a work of art, it is also functional. The Exotic Edge ACRYLITE sheet allows light to reach the enclosed artwork from all angles so that the piece is illuminated. And the casing not only permits clear viewing of the glass artwork but simultaneously provides a splash of color. “The ACRYLITE Exotic Edge sheet is transparent but also blue. There is no material that can do this other than acrylic,” states Miremont. Completely enveloping the space between the two cavities provides added functionality because dust cannot accumulate between the double walls. The outer acrylic surface can be cleaned easily for unimpeded viewing. Architectural Plastics’ customer was highly satisfied with the finished product. The artwork showcase deviates from the norm and generates interest, as art should do. “People look at this and say ‘How did you do that?’” says Miremont. The answer: unique fabrication by Architectural Plastics combined with the unusual properties of the Exotic Edge ACRYLITE acrylic sheet.
Further Information
Company
Architectural Plastics
Market Segment/Occupation
Framing
Country
United States
Product used
Exotic Edge ACRYLITE® acrylic sheet
Thickness of Material
NA
Location of project
Petaluma, CA
