NEW CLASSICS AND EXPERIMENTAL APPROACHES:
MARBLE INTERPRETED BY 10 INTERNATIONAL DESIGNERS
April 2020 - Marble derives from the Greek marmaros, which means "shining stone". It has been used since Antiquity for applications in sculpture and architecture and is now considered to be par excellence the noble stone. This truly ancient production tradition is continuously updated by contemporary designers who take very different approaches to integrate the ancient knowledge of marble processing workshops with state of the art technologies.
They exploit the veins, colours, ductility and visual rendering of marble to give life to new classics and contemporary furnishings. Others take advantage of new processing technologies to produce very thin items that are then moulded to create sculptural furniture and unexpected objects; others rely on essential and minimal forms, without being afraid of openly recalling history; still others play with combinations, patterns and colours to create new trends.
Marmomac is the leading international trade fair specifically for marble and natural stone and interpreted this know-how and excellence by inviting ten big names on the contemporary scene to interpret the material in a creative way through innovative projects.
1) For Wallpaper* Handmade 2013, Michael Anastassiades worked alongside Henraux to create recipients in Miracle Chips marble. The Cypriot designer pushed the capabilities of the Tuscany-based company's advanced technologies to the limit while retaining all the beauty and intrinsic qualities of the material.
Credits: Henraux
2) The Marmeria bookcase designed by Archea Associati for Luce di Carrara was previewed at Marmomac in 2015; it is made up of individual items that can be assembled freely. This item of furniture enhances the features, colours and tactile sensations of marble that vary in relation to the type and brightness of the surface finish.
Credits: Luce di Carrara
3) Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec created a small yet nonetheless monumental fountain in the garden of the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein, Germany. A long, tapered element in grey marble has a small tap and a central groove where the water flows.
Credits: Vitra
4) Lee Broom, a British designer, celebrated the tenth anniversary of his studio with a limited edition pendulum clock inspired by brutalism. The Time Machine project was developed from a single block of Carrara marble.
Credits: Lee Broom
5) How to reinterpret a design classic using contemporary technologies: Zaha Hadid Architects worked with the AKT II engineering studio to combines marble and carbon fibre in this original re-edition of the legendary Shell Chair by Danish designer Hans J. Wegner first produced in 1963.
Credits: ZHA
6) A material that is generally perceived to be solid, heavy and durable can nevertheless also be light and ethereal. The Stone Pendant hanging lamp by London designer Tom Dixon is clear proof of this.
Credits: Tom Dixon
7) In 2011, legendary stylist Karl Lagerfeld took up the challenge of marble and the canons of Greek-Roman beauty to develop a precious and impressive collection of "functional sculptures", which he then exhibited at the Carpenters Workshop Gallery in Paris.
Credits: Carpenters Workshop Gallery
8) Piero Lissoni created a series of tables and coffee tables with characteristic cylindrical and modular shapes. The 1949 collection is enhanced by the quality materials used, including solid ash wood, four types of marble and variants with glass tops in different colours.
Credits: Cassina
9) The Volumes collection by Konstantin Grcic for the Galerie Kreo in London blurs the boundary between sculpture and design. The German designer worked with blocks of Bleu de Savoie marble to prepare six enbloc furnishing items.
Credits: Galerie Kreo
10) The curved outdoor bench Onda by Italian designers Paolo Ulian and Moreno Ratti was designed to minimise material waste. The furniture item by Upground is produced from a single block cut in sequence.
Credits: Paolo Ulian Moreno Ratti
Contact France et Maghreb : AeP Consultants Sarl
mail : pavone.angelo@orange.fr
