time in stone

What most distinguishes natural stone from artificial stone products is time, an immaterial component preserved within stone by a lasting bond.
We can observe the passage of time in stratified materials and in countless varieties of rocks that are evidence of the evolutionary processes of the nature of our planet.
Stone can tell us about our world from the most distant eras in which it was formed to the most recent ones of those who have worked it, leaving the mark of their own creativity.
From the first flint tips to engraved writing, sculpture and architecture, created by the hands of craftsmen and the work of current-day “virtuous machines”, the essence of stone continues to be revealed in its substance. Describing stone over time is a way to return to authenticity and to the incomparable truth that nowadays man, increasingly fascinated by appearances, needs to rediscover new areas of creativity.

IN OUR TIME

Stone is an extremely durable material that comes from the most remote past and is brought into the future with a promise of eternity for those who shape and use it.
In design, it is believed that a product has the right durability when it is designed and manufactured consistently with its actual time of use. As a result, its extreme durability or rapid consumption necessarily entail different concepts and materials.
Stone should certainly be used for its extreme durability or, alternatively, it can be included in product design so that it can be subsequently re-used in other forms or recycled to produce new products. Today, more than in the past, design is made easier using technology and CNC machinery in laboratories in the marble industry, which allow complex and accurate products to be made that can be repeated for mass production, or shaped cuts that separate stone and reduce the amount of waste.
The exhibition aims to develop this reflection on the current use of stone through a series of innovative experimental projects created by seven designers and produced by seven teams from Italian companies in the stone industry.

PERCORSI D’ARTE

The pressing and pervasive introduction of digital technology into all human activities is relentless despite the most ancient techniques and traditional materials, such as
stone, which have been universally acknowledged up to now as examples of ancient skills. In nature, many endangered species respond with new vitality, developing new resistant strains and unexpected blossoming. Likewise, old materials and their traditional uses can reveal new characteristics that go beyond what could have been previously envisaged. As a result, thanks to digital immateriality, natural stone can reveal a surprisingly new aspect, once again fully reinstating itself in the contemporary world.
The Paths of Art exhibition, now at its third edition, seeks to investigate the idea of using CNC machines in the artistic processing of stone.

YOUNG STONE

A fundamental aspect of the knowledge of stone materials and their application in design and architecture is to establish solid relationships with universities, art academies and professional schools, institutions where research and design are carried out at an advanced level. This is what Marmomac has been doing for more than two decades, promoting and supporting the inclusion of content related to the use of stone in design disciplines in the teaching at some prestigious Italian universities. This has led Marmomac to recently stipulate partnership protocols with some prestigious universities for the introduction of curricular and master courses with a focus on stone. This process has been encouraged by the collaboration of many Italian companies in the marble and machinery sectors, which have supported university research with their experience and know-how, making it possible to turn student projects into actual prototypes.

BRAND & STONE 3.0

Concept by Danilo Di Michele

Curated by Giorgio Canale

This exhibition, now at its third edition, responds to the need to bring designers and influential brands closer to the use of natural stone to produce objects and accessories included in their collections, demonstrating how it is possible to overcome the often widespread reticence of a commercial (costs, distribution …) as well as a technical (weight, installation issues …) nature in the use of this material.
Brand & Stone 3.0 is therefore not limited as an exhibition of solely excellent design objects in natural stone, nor is it a mere experiment designed to exaggerate the potential of stone materials. It is a project promoting partnership and synergy between two worlds – natural stone and design – whose results will be premiered at Marmomac 2021.

TAVOLI D’AUTORE

Curated by
ADI – Delegazione Veneto Trentino Alto Adige

Concept and coordination
Paolo Criveller, Luca Facchini, Silvia Sandini, Carlo Trevisani

The ADI VTAA group of designers and architects develops the concept of time, proposing a varied collection of tables designed for restaurants: a contemporary and up-to-date dining table, also redesigned to meet needs during the pandemic we are currently experiencing.
Respect for marble, a rare and precious material no longer replicable, combined with a vision of design in line with the concepts of industrial design, mass production, easy transport and the final destination of objects, is embodied in the work of excellent Italian companies throughout the entire supply chain of the sector.