What if that gorgeous expanse of polished concrete countertop could by etched with the face of Gandhi? How about if that 10 ft. garden partition wall could be filled with the synesthetic scent of gargantuan red roses? Who might rejoice if those vertical columns of silica aggregate could be memorialized with the likeness of King Kong's great ascent? The answers to these existential queries shall not be long in coming; at least, that is, if Helsinki manufacturer Graphic Concrete remains unbound.

GCProâ„¢. Designed and manufactured by Graphic Concreteâ„¢.

GCCollectionâ„¢ (GeoCollection: Stripes). Designed and manufactured by Graphic Concreteâ„¢.

A New Look for an Old Reliable Surface

The unbounding to which I refer above is artistic as well as technological, since the company, helmed by founder and inventor Samuli Naamanka, unearthed a method to etch concrete slabs with all the images of man's devising-and God's as well, as these images no doubt attest. Naamanka's method involves the use of a membranous "surface retarder," a phrase that sounds provocative and intentionally un-pc, but in fact refers to "a special kind of coated film at a prefabrication plant… the film is printed on pre-defined spots with conventional printing technique, using a surface retarder. The designed pattern is created on the surface of the concrete slab as a result of the contrast effect between the fairface and the exposed, fine aggregate surface."

GCCollectionâ„¢ (NatureCollection: Grass). Designed and manufactured by Graphic Concreteâ„¢.

GCArt&Designâ„¢. Manufactured by Graphic Concreteâ„¢.

GCArt&Designâ„¢. Manufactured by Graphic Concreteâ„¢.

GCArt&Designâ„¢. Manufactured by Graphic Concreteâ„¢.

GCArt&Designâ„¢. Manufactured by Graphic Concreteâ„¢.

The explanation of the method may be rife with technicalese, but the bottom line is that it works in a fashion similar to that of developing a photograph. The printed image on the membrane overlays the slab and, voila!, with the application of that magical surface retarder, the concrete surface transforms into rows of verdant gardenias, or the Cyrillic alphabet, or a scene from Aristophanes.

The potential applications of the technology are limited only by provincialism and small-mindedness, and we know there's none of that out here at the fringes of A&D. So let us all celebrate the newfound freedom of photos on concrete-the auspicious intersection of hardscapes and graphic design-and get to dreaming up each of our preferred patterns for this versatile, durable, and plentiful surface. If I had my druthers, my first would be the war room scene from Dr. Strangelove, my second a moonlit night on the prairie, my third a swirling art deco fresco reaching to the skies… and these only just begin to scratch the surface.