URBAN INTERVENTION
2013

This long-term project was created around the idea of finding unanticipated beauty in the urban landscape, inviting a moment of pause and response. It began with a sourcing trip to Portugal, where we gathered discontinued vintage commercial tiles in the countryside. We brought the tiles back with us to compose a large “patchwork” mural with them that debuted at the Toronto Design Offsite festival. Afterwards, the tiles were dispersed across the cities of Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver for lucky passersby to find in the dull winter landscape and take home.

In 2010, we launched Finders Keepers, creating and tagging 300 red, magnetic ceramic hearts on Granville Island in Vancouver. Those who found them, kept or gave them to loved ones. It became a scavenger hunt with a huge local following.

The enthusiasm for that project sparked the idea to design a similar creative experience on a much larger scale, while using objects with a deep cultural context–vintage tiles that tell a story of age-old architectural tradition around the world.

PATCHWORKED WALLPAPER is available for purchase via Rollout.

Our search for vintage tiles led us to Portugal, the pinnacle of architectural tile. For us, with a fondness and extensive backgrounds in ceramics, spending time in exploration there was something of a ceramic paradise. One of the highlights for us was spending time at the source of the tiles on the outskirts of Lisbon.

It was the lifetime collection of Mr. Cortiço—hundreds of thousands of discontinued tiles from all the ceramics factories of Portugal. Without discretion, he had accepted all tiles that came his way, from the finest crafted rare beauties to the cheapest kitschiest scraps.

The collection is now managed and preserved by the grandchildren of Mr. Cortiço, who helped us to select and acquire the tiles.