Thursday Salute to Originals: Marbles Merge Antiquity + Architecture
If you read last Thursday’s blog post, you’ve probably guessed that we can’t resist a little sparkle. Well, we came across something else this week – this time a new material – that really caught our eye (what can we say, when it comes to shimmer, we’re like a moth to a flame…). But more importantly than catching our attention, this material got us thinking.
BlingCrete™ is a product that embeds concrete with glass spheres (essentially, marbles) to create an unusual surface and building material. Not only does this material reflect light, creating dancing shimmers and shadows across its surface, but it also embodies an interesting texture and pattern that turns simple concrete into a new sensory experience for both the eyes and fingertips.
At the heart of this material, and what makes it so intriguing, are the embedded glass spheres –the marbles. Their small scale, smooth texture, and specific geometry enhance what would otherwise be a common matte surface. So this got us wondering…how did marbles make their way from rolling in sand as a childhood pastime to gracing the most high-profile architectural designs? Where did marbles even come from?
Well turns out, marbles have been around for quite some time; a REALLY long time. In fact, its thought that marbles originated as small rocks polished by rivers and streams, to which the concept was then adapted (sometime around 3300–1300 BCE) to a more “modernized” spherical version fashioned out of stone, clay, flint, and even glass. Ancient Egyptian tombs, Native American burial grounds, and Pueblo ruins have all yielded versions of these prehistoric marbles.
But beyond antiquity, marbles have remained a mainstay in human society. In the middle ages, popularity of marbles as an interactive game soared. And, as time progressed, so did fascination with the little orbs – with the game, their appearance, and their multitude of uses . By the 1800’s factories in Germany began an era of mass production, with popularity of these colorful, shiny spheres peaking in the 1920s and 1930s.
Since then, marbles have retained an international attraction. Whether used as a toy, a piece of jewelry, a collectable, an inspiration for art, or as piece of artwork themselves, their inherent shape, scale, shine, and beauty make these tiny spheres appealing to a multitude of senses, cultures, and purposes.
Given the appeal to these tiny globes over centuries and centuries, it seems it was only a matter of time before the valued inherent characteristics of marbles eventually migrated into the design world. So from ancient streams to modern buildings, we salute marbles for bringing together antiquity and architecture in a completely new and innovative material that reinvents a prehistoric pastime and craft.
Image credits: Blingcrete, Museum of Childhood, WallpaperNo