Marmomacc 2007 will feature the design of decorative objects and furnishings made from marble and other natural stone materials. “Marmomacc Meets Design” will pair leading international designers and selected Italian exhibitors. The design theme will be the “lightness” of stone. The resulting designer prototypes will demonstrate stone-working techniques developed by participating companies and will be exhibited at their booths during the fair. Marmomacc visitors will be provided with maps highlighting the “lightness” booths. The pairing of stone with interior designers has a long and distinguished history. While marble and other types of natural stone were initially used as structural elements in architecture, today they are being increasingly used by architects, designers, interior decorators, and artists in residential settings. Stone is used, for example, to cover surfaces in kitchens and bathrooms, as well as in the creation of actual furniture, such as tables. Industrial design has tended to use stone to enrich a piece (as an example, see the attached table, “’95” by Achille Castiglioni for De Padova, 95.jpg), while more artistic approaches have used only stone, thus creating functional domestic sculptures (as an example, see the attached table, “Park Lane” by Ettore Sottsass, for Memphis, parklane.jpg; source: L'Informatore del Marmista issue 541). The objects created for Marmomacc 2007 will be entirely in stone. METEORUS AMONG NEW VARIETIES OF STONE INTRODUCED AT MARMOMACC 2006 The international stone sector is currently seeing the constant introduction of new materials, many of them unusual. Meteorus, which was premiered by various suppliers at Marmomacc 2006, comes from Brazil, a country known for its granite. It is a metamorphic silicate material definable as phyllite characterized by garnet and staurolite. Specks of reddish garnet and brownish staurolite, exceptional in size, stand out in the shiny grey phyllosilicate mass (see attached Meteorus.jpg). The different hardness of the various minerals that make up this granite suggests that it would not be suitable for use in flooring – some of the minerals would wear down more quickly than others – but ideal for interior use, especially as a decorative element. (Source: Laura Fiora, L'Informatore del Marmista). MARMOMACC 2007 TO FEATURE 10TH EDITION OF THE INTERNATIONAL ARCHITECTURE IN STONE AWARD An international jury recently convened in Verona to review major architectural projects in stone completed over the last two years. The winning projects will be presented at a ceremony on Saturday, October 6th, during Marmomacc. Awards will be given to the winners at that time and their projects will be featured in an exhibit at the fair. The Award was created by Veronafiere in 1987 to recognize significant architectural works in stone, as part of the trade fair company’s efforts to promote “stone culture.” For information on previous editions of the Award please see here. For more information on Marmomacc please contact: The Consultants International Group in Washington, DC (Sebastiano Brancoli, sbrancoli@cig-dc.com, tel.: 202-783-7000).
