Architect and designer Manu Bañó explores the reflective qualities of copper with his OBJ-08 mirrors, launched as part of the Unique Design X fair at Mexico City art week.

Produced by hammering, shaping and polishing a thin sheet of copper, the collection by Bañó is formed entirely from a single material with no need for lacquers, coatings or adhesives.

"The idea, as in all the pieces in my collection, is to alter the shape of a sheet of metal with a repeated action – in this case, hand hammering and polishing," Bañó told Dezeen.

"By hammering, little by little, the desired shape and function is achieved. There is nothing added, it is all copper."

The OBJ-08 collection comprises two pieces – the Wall Mirror and Floor Mirror – each composed of two symmetrical pieces that are designed to be displayed as a duo.

The Wall Mirror has a tarnished copper surface and is made up of two circular sheets of copper, one shaped to be concave and the other convex.

Matching in texture, the Floor Mirror has a free-standing rectangular frame with identical indentations on two sides that are polished to a high shine.

Manufactured by artisans in Mexico, the pieces are produced by hammering heated copper sheets onto a mould to manipulate them into the desired shape.

Once shaped, the remaining flat area is polished until a reflective surface is achieved.

Hammering details add texture to the pieces, contrasting with their polished and mirrored centres.

"Because of its properties, copper is the only metal that can be worked in this way," Bañó said.

"It can be heated, hammered, reheated, re-hammered and often even mirror polished. I like to push materials to the limit of their properties."

OBJ-08 was unveiled in collaboration with Gallery Collectional at Unique Design X – a nomadic fair for collectible design that took place in Mexico City this year.

Bañó is a co-founder of design studio EWE Studio based in Mexico City, with previous projects including an oxidised steel lamp modelled on sheets of paper.

Other projects that capitalise on the reflective properties of copper include a meditation space clad with copper in Bali and a museum in Shanghai finished with an arched copper shell.

The photography is by Alejandro Ramírez Orozco.

OBJ-08 was on show as part of Unique Design X at Mexico City art week from 8 to 11 February 2024. For more exhibitions, talks and fairs in architecture and design visit Dezeen Events Guide.