Last month, TKBB’s Simon Hodgson visited Verona to attend Marmomac, the world’s international trade fair for natural stone. Here’s his report from the show.
Verona in Autumn briefly forgets about Juliet’s balcony and focuses on the world of stone. From a block to a masterpiece, Marmomacc attracts more than 68,000 visitors, of whom two thirds are from outside Italy.
Marea by Elena Salmistraro, one of the works featured in the Liquid, Solid, Stone exhibition housed in The Italian Stone Theatre, was unanimously elected winner of the 3rd edition of the Icon Award.
Marea, produced by Vicentina Marmi with Donatoni Macchine and Arabescato Orobico material by Cave Gamba, is planned to become the icon for the Marmomac 2019 communication campaign. It’s a different piece of work, but so were many in the Italian Stone Theatre.
Contrasti, designed by Moreno Ratti and produced by Petri, is designed to emphasise the wastage of a natural product and what can be done, merely by using slab off cuts. The basin has been finished to highlight the contrast of natural material and the random texture that results from the CNC machining.
A clever combination of shape and form, and a reduction in waste materials combine to create “Tasca”. Designed by Alessandro Raffa using Calacatta marble, this unit can be either free standing or mounted against a wall. A hollowed-out interior allows for easy plumbing connections and was created using overlapping elements generated by means of concentric cutting.
The Italian Stone Theatre occupies an entire hall at Marmomac and its product represent a masterful balance between the stone and the technology – something that Marmomac is all about.
For more information visit marmomac.com/en/
