As seen earlier this year during Milan Design Week, this awesome creation is Intorno al Fuoco by Francesco Faccin for Bufalini.
Presented as part of the Design Variations 2023 Exhibition hosted in the Sala dei Giornali of the Circolo Filologico Milanese, the set up stems from an in-depth material study and invited spectators to reflect on the relationship between stone and fire, two primitive elements that come to life and take shape thanks to the design of the brazier.
A single block of Etna lava stone has been emptied and lightened by means of a series of coring and cutting operations (with the waste product re-utilised for small candle and incense holders). The holes resulting from this manufacturing process are used to house Innocenti tubular pipes which act as a structural and functional element. The brazier is designed to be transported manually thanks to a simple pulling movement.
The designer has chosen metal posts as the distinctive element of the object, and of the staging, to create a strong contrast between the intrinsic value of stone and the simplicity of the steel.
“I see the brazier as the object which combines fire and stone in the most simple and self-explanatory way, while also making a strong symbolic impact,” says Francesco Faccin. “As it burns and provides warmth, illuminating, regenerating and uniting people, fire makes us reconnect for a few moments to the recollections and ancestral sensations harbouring deep down inside every human being”.
Bufalini is an Italian company with more than 300 years’ experience in the marble and stone sector. The company is now in its fourth generation, continually building on its deep-rooted and multifaceted know-how, with a wealth of technical expertise in the creation of surfaces, cladding, innovative design and furnishing elements.
For more information visit bufalini.com/en/
