Building on the success of last year’s first edition, the Marmomacc Meets Design project is being expanded to 15 pairings of architects and stone companies for 2008. The formula will be the same: an architect or designer joins forces with a stone company to develop together a stone prototype reflecting a specific theme. The goal of the project is to stimulate innovative uses and applications of marble and other natural stone materials. In 2007, the theme was the “lightness” of stone. This year’s theme will be stone as texture or “skin.” This choice reflects the increasing focus among architects on selecting materials, including natural stone, on the basis of their surface texture, whether in creating objects or in cladding buildings. Last year some architects developed stone objects and others created modules used to construct entire booths, such as the grey sandstone module created by Kengo Kuma for Il Casone’s booth. Aldo Cibic opted for yet another approach: he used Grassi Pietre’s Vicenza Stone to create a relaxing setting, with an underlying Asian look, in the company’s booth. Both booths were judged to be among the best at Marmomacc 2007 (see below). Grassi Pietre’s booth (left) and Il Casone’s booth (right) The 15 parings for Marmomacc 2008 are: Mario Bellini/Mineranorge, Riccardo Blumer/Scalvini Marmi, Roberto Canovaro/Marmo Arredo, Aldo Cibic/Quarella, Michele De Lucchi/Pibamarmi, Stefano Giovannoni/Grassi Pietre, Massimo Iosa Ghini/Budri, James Irvine/Marsotto, Simone Micheli/Odorizzi Porfidi, Paola Navone/Citco, Pongratz Perbellini Architects /Testigroup, Marco Piva/Marmi Bruno Zanet, Denis Santachiara/Marmi Ghirardi, Luca Scacchetti/Santa Margherita, and Claudio Silvestrin/Il Casone. PARTNERSHIP WITH MATERIAL CONNEXION TO INCLUDE EXHIBIT OF INNOVATIVE NEW MATERIALS AT MARMOMACC Marmomacc has established a partnership with Material Connexion, which describes itself as the largest global resource of new materials, with a library of over 3,500 innovative options in polymer, glass, ceramics, metal, natural materials such as stone, natural material derivatives, carbon-based materials, and cement-based materials. Given the novel nature of many natural and engineered stone materials regularly premiered at Marmomacc by exhibitors, an exhibition of cutting-edge materials at the show, curated by Material Connexion, seemed a natural fit. The Marmomacc-Material Connexion collaboration also extends to this year’s Milan Architectural Triennale. From June 5th through July 13th, Material Connexion’s area at the Triennale will host a “Lightness of Marble” exhibition, featuring the nine 2007 Marmomacc Meets Design projects. Aldo Cibic’s Cibic Workshop will design and create the booth hosting this exhibition. Material Connexion operates material libraries in New York, Milan, Bangkok, and Cologne, while also offering an online database (at www.materialconnexion.com), which includes detailed technical specifications on all materials. Its goal is to connect material users with innovative manufacturers. Manufacturers submit materials to a jury that determines whether they are original enough to be included in Material Connexion’s library. STONE AND INTERIOR DESIGN ON DISPLAY AT THE “GRAND HOTEL SALGARI” One of the highlights of Marmomacc 2008 will undoubtedly be the “Grand Hotel Salgari,” an exhibition presenting a 4,300 square foot living space featuring natural stone and high-end interior design pieces. The “Hotel” will include two suites, a home theater area, a lounge bar, a reception and a fitness area. It is named after Emilio Salgari, an early 20th century Verona author who, despite never having left his native city, wrote popular adventure novels about pirates in the seas of southeast Asia. The interiors of the “Grand Hotel,” while conceived and produced by local companies will, like Salgari’s novels, reflect design influences from exotic faraway lands. This initiative is a collaboration between Marmomacc and Abitare il Tempo, the interior design and furniture fair organized by Veronafiere (Abitare il Tempo runs from September 18th –22nd, 2008; for more information see www.abitareiltempo.com). MARMOMACC PRESENTS: KENGO KUMA AT THE UIA WORLD CONGRESS Marmomacc will sponsor a workshop on stone architecture by Kengo Kuma at the 23rd UIA World Congress (Turin, Italy – June 28th – July 3rd). Entitled “Soft Stone: Stone Origami,” the workshop will examine the many ways in which Kuma has used stone in his work. Given Marmomacc’s commitment to educating architects on designing with natural stone and its support for innovative design applications using stone, Veronafiere will also be present at the Congress with a booth in the Expo area. The booth, which will be built using the grey sandstone module created by Kuma for Il Casone and pictured above, will highlight Marmomacc’s activities targeted at the architectural community. Marmomacc is the leading international trade show for stone materials and technologies, as well as stone-related design. Marmomacc 2007 featured over 1,500 exhibitors from 50 countries (50% of exhibitors were non-Italian). The show attracted over 65,000 trade visitors from 110 countries (foreign visitors made up 43% of the total). For more information or pictures on Marmomacc please contact: The Consultants International Group in Washington, DC (Sebastiano Brancoli, sbrancoli@cig-dc.com, tel.: 202-783-7000).
