Concrete and, by extension, the concrete mixer have long been linked to construction and infrastructure. From the discovery of the material to the modern era, people have viewed and valued concrete through a narrow lens. The development of mixer technology in the latter half of the twentieth century only reinforced its place in the building world. However, creatives who are constantly seeking innovative methods and mediums have begun to reinvent their perception of this humble construction component.

 

From artistic inspiration to community development and even its incorporation into education, concrete mixers are beginning to be revitalised as a tool of the inventive. At BS Power, we seek to encourage the use of concrete for every purpose and aim to assist in these endeavours by providing the correct tools at accessible prices. Our top-of-the-range concrete and cement mixers have the power to help you realise your vision, while still being affordable enough to meet the demands of our clientele.

 

In this article, we want to help get your “creative juices” flowing by looking at some of the industries, outside of construction, that have seen a marked increase in the use of concrete mixers. We hope that this written piece inspires you, encourages you to consider purchasing a mixer of your very own, or provides you with some new use cases for your very own machine at home.

 

So, if you are interested in the world of concrete and want to find out about the trendiest applications, then keep reading along.

 

Tools In Artistic Innovation

 

The first area we want to further expand on is that of artistic expression. In some ways, it is not accurate to say that artists are only now making use of concrete as a creative medium. The title “artist” is a loose term, and there are many buildings around the world that make use of concrete to express the artistic vision of architects and builders.

 

However, when we look at the “art scene” and at institutions that traditionally store and exhibit what we understand as art, it is clear that concrete is today a more inspired medium than ever before. Today there are many modern art galleries that provide artists with the stage to display their concrete pieces of art.

 

In this section let us look at some of those exhibitions and the challenges and opportunities that concrete provides artists.

 

Sculptures And Public Installations

 

The world of art is an ever-evolving one and there is simply no time in this article to cover the precise history of concrete as an art form. It is important to highlight that much of the new-found popularity of concrete is attributed to the fact that the material is relatively more available than in the past. This combined with modern tools like the concrete mixer, has made the application of concrete into art easier, in turn making it a more common medium of expression.

 

For the sake of accuracy, it is important to remember there were early popular artistic expressions made entirely from concrete. Most notable, maybe, is the works of Henry Moore, through his range of concrete sculptures between 1926 and 1934, which drove forward the artistic capabilities of concrete. We also must consider the work of Dušan Džamonja, whose large-scale pieces like the Monument to the Revolution, showed how the intrinsic characteristics of concrete (i.e. the structural strength of the material) could in its own way also contribute to art.

 

In the modern period, with a much better ability to create concrete, the works of Benedetta Bufalino and Wim Delvoye stand out. The way in which both artists use the tools that make concrete as their centrepieces, Bufalino with his construction vehicles and Delvoye’s concrete mixer, again further our understanding of concrete as art.

 

Challenges And Opportunities For Artists

 

Concrete and the concrete mixer both provide artists with interesting considerations when trying to evaluate the challenges and opportunities that come with using them. In many ways, the opportunity is part of the challenge and each factor heavily relies on the artist’s perception as to whether it should be considered an advantage or disadvantage. Let us look at some examples of that duality in order to further emphasise our point.

 

If you have ever spoken to an artist who has attempted to use concrete or mixers, especially if they have no prior experience with the material or tool, they may highlight the complexities of the set-up. As concrete mixers are generally geared towards construction, they can be heavy, noisy and require special transport. Of course, recent innovations in this space provide sleek, usable alternatives that can easily be found on our website. However, the fact remains that they may be difficult to set up.

 

Some extroverted artists may view these logistical hurdles as a chance for collaboration. It may be true that setting up the machine for one person is an issue but if more artists were to work on the same project, the cost and strain of working with these mixers becomes gradually less, to a point where the mixer actually becomes a necessity. In this way, the logistical necessity drives collaboration.

 

It may also be true that concrete is amongst the most temperamental mediums to work with. Ask any seasoned construction worker and they will be sure to tell you how slightly messing up your mixing ratios or mixing in the wrong weather can lead to a batch of unusable concrete. For artists who have never mixed concrete before, learning how to mix concrete in the right conditions can be a steep and expensive learning curve.

 

Yet some artists may point to this challenge and see it as something to incorporate into their artistic narrative. For many, the unpredictability found in mixing concrete aligns itself with the narratives of freedom found in art.

 

A white structure with curved lines with Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in the background

 

 

Empowering Community Projects

 

It would be fair to say that, if asked, many people may highlight community empowerment projects as another common avenue for the use of concrete mixers after construction work. With that in mind, this section may seem out of place in an article covering the machine’s unusual uses. However, the community projects that many may be referring to are really rooted in construction. Affordable housing initiatives are the most common example of that.

 

In this section, the goal is to separate community projects and building projects. In this way, we can again highlight the incredible versatility of the machine and further empower your imagination to dream up new uses for mixers.

 

Parks And Green Spaces

 

More than any other community project, it was important for us to highlight the retention and development of green spaces as part of urban developments. At BS Power, we are fully committed to sustainable practices that protect flora and fauna. It is part of our mission to support projects that seek to find a balance between human development and environmental well-being.

 

It may seem oxymoronic to consider the use of construction tools in the service of maintaining urban public gardens, but large metropolitan areas like Kuala Lumpur and Singapore are standout examples of how to achieve this symbiosis. They carefully use concrete to create habitats that will encourage and facilitate the growth of various vegetation. Both Gardens by the Bay in Singapore and the KLCC park in Malaysia are good examples of this creative use of concrete to encourage green growth.

 

In recent years, South Africa has also sought to augment their urban developments with publicly accessible green areas. The focus, by both private and public entities, to encourage green construction has led to further investment into community projects that are driven to achieve this aim.

 

Other Community Initiatives

 

But public parks are not the only community projects that can make use of mixers. Concrete can be used to empower communities in so many other ways. Here are just some of our favourite South African ideas for using concrete to better the places we live in:

 

Outdoor Amphitheatres: South Africa is home to a vast amount of diversity in our cultures. There is no place better suited to express this array of cultural identities than through outdoor amphitheatres.

 

Flood Barrier: Although many areas in South Africa are landlocked, many communities live on the coastline. When storms hit areas of the Garden Route, KwaZulu-Natal or the Eastern Cape, the resulting floods can be disastrous. Using concrete to create flood-resistant barriers is a way to protect and empower coastal communities.

 

Public Bike and Walkways: People in South Africa like to be outside, but for communities living in large cities like Cape Town or Johannesburg people are often put off due to the hustle and bustle of urban life. Using concrete to make dedicated spaces for runners, walkers and cyclists can encourage more people to head outdoors.

 

Educational Programs And STEM Learning

 

Although some people may question the uniqueness of concrete usage in the last section, we believe that no one would have expected our last section to consider the impact the concrete mixer can have on education. Specifically STEM learning, an area of education that has a profound impact on our daily lives.

 

STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Subjects that have always held lots of importance in human society, as they help drive forward our never-ending desire to innovate. In many ways, it is all four of these subjects that led to the discovery and development of both concrete and the concrete mixer.

 

How then can this useful building material and the machines used to produce it return the favour by contributing to further education in these fields?

 

Engineering Principles

 

We refer to these groups of subjects as STEM due to each field of study not being fully understood without the use of the others. So, when we consider how the concrete mixer could contribute to educating students on the principles of engineering, we must understand that through its ability to make the fields of chemistry, physics and mathematics more relatable, it is in turn teaching us about engineering. Here is how:

 

Chemistry: One simple principle of chemistry that can be exhibited through the use of the mixer is the hydration reaction. That is to show the way water reacts with cement to form a solid matrix.

 

Physics: In terms of physics, concrete mixers are ideally suited to exhibit the principles of motion and torque. Providing students with a better understanding of how to calculate the power (torque) needed to mix heavier loads of concrete.

 

Mathematics: We have already mentioned in passing the idea of getting your ratios wrong. But it should be emphasised here again, that through concrete we can evaluate and understand the impact ratios can have on the real world.

 

 

BS Power And The Mixer

 

In this article, we have seen how concrete mixers can be used in the fields of art, sociology and science. We have explored how even in spaces where we do not expect to see concrete, mixers and the cement they produce can still be present.

 

We hope that this article has inspired you to view concrete in a different way. If you are interested in exploring the uses of the mixers even further, don’t hesitate to visit our website to get your hands on one of your very own.