Now open: SolidNature’s first solo show during Milan Design Week 2023 titled ‘Beyond the Surface’

Milan, 17 April 2023 - Following the success of SolidNature’s 2022 installation at Alcova, the natural stone brand takes up temporary residence at Spazio Cernaia, in the heart of Brera to present an extensive and fully immersive solo installation titled Beyond The Surface guiding visitors through the journey and process of realising dreams.

The installation guides visitors through an immersive dreamscape, designed by Ellen Van Loon and Giulio Margheri of renowned international architectural firm OMA, which draws a parallel between the formation and quarrying of stone, and the process of dreaming. Just as the creation and working of stone requires time, skill and effort, the same applies to achieving dreams. SolidNature’s goal is to inspire and motivate visitors to dream and push the limits of creativity. 

“This year’s exhibition is about nature’s power; it gives an impression of the processes of compression and solidification that led to the formation of natural stone as we know it today.” Ellen Van Loon, Partner, OMA

The exhibition takes place in the basement and gardens of the neo-Romanesque Casa Maveri covering over 500 square meters of the property. Visitors enter through a sky-blue onyx volume and descend via a staircase made of multicoloured examples of the same stone. Here they will discover a sequence of rooms which reimagine the process of manufacturing and processing marble and create a series of sensory experiences for visitors. The various environments in the ​ basement draw a direct parallel between the formation and quarrying of stone, and the process of dreaming. Just as the creation and working of stone requires time, skill and effort, the same applies to achieving dreams. In the garden, objects by different designers – a bar, a tribune, a table with seats, an art piece and a lounge – serve as backdrop for the different activities hosted during the week. 

"The installation gives a taste of ​ different potential treatments, applications and approaches of designing with natural stone." Giulio Margheri, Senior Architect, OMA

For the garden, OMA’s role was more that of a curator. Ellen, Giulio and their team defined the areas where the activities associated with the Design Week would take place and, together with SolidNature, chose the designers of the objects based on new and longstanding relationships. This choice stemmed from the desire to showcase the different potential treatments, applications and approaches of designing with natural stone.

One of the designers who immediately came to mind was Sabine Marcelis, long standing collaborator of SolidNature and skilled multidisciplinary artist. This year Sabine was asked to design a table and bar for the installation. “Last year was so much fun to work on and present a bathroom I designed - we needed to step up the game this year. With the theme ‘beyond the surface’ I really wanted to zoom in on exactly that. The surface of the table is traditionally focused on and what gives it is its function. I wanted to focus on the feet below and presentation volumes above the surface instead. With the surface being merely a transparent point of connection. The feet below and volumes above are made from different shades of travertine and the surface from my signature colour-treated glass, connecting the colours of the travertine. To build out the narrative I invited Laila Gohar to work with me on activating what will happen above the surface of the table.” Sabine Marcelis

In contrast with Sabine’s stark geometric lines of the table and bar, OMA and SolidNature reached out to Bita Fayyazi, an Iranian artist whose sculptural style focuses on sinuous, feminine lines inspired by nature. 

Inspired by the social and political history, literature and poetry of her homeland, Bita designed seating for the space depicting various organic forms. Consisting of five sculptures titled ‘The Wave’, ‘Chimera’, ‘Owl’, ‘Cat’ and ‘Rabbit’ these pieces will be viewed as functional art and will welcome visitors to sit and interact with them. This is the first time Bita has worked with natural stone: “I am so fond of and drawn to stones that at some stage in my own work I had started using “marble effect” in my resin sculptures. ​ Because of its inherent beauty, it is a delightful material for making sculptures. In fact as a consequence of this project with SolidNature I have become interested in follow-up by incorporating stone in my own work.” Bita Fayyazi

The garden also showcases a tribune and stage designed by Italian/Dutch duo Studio Ossidiana. Interpreted as a ‘piccolo teatro’, and inspired by Elizabethan theatres as well as the surreal landscapes of quarries, the team designed a mineral theatre for small and big talks during Milan Design Week. At the centre of the tribune, a gravel-filled courtyard will become a place for performances, lectures, dances; a mineral canvas where visitors are encouraged to draw ephemeral bas reliefs during the week.

Within the space the visitor will also come across a sculptural art piece made of semi-precious stone designed by third generation Dutch jeweller Ward Strootman, showcasing that stone can be appreciated in its monolithic forms as well as in smaller curated items.

People rarely experience materials like marble and onyx other than fully finished products. This installation will make visitors aware of the entire process that leads to the final product in a way that appeals to all your senses. 

SolidNature x BUDDE at Rossana Orlandi

In addition to SolidNature’s main installation in Via Cernaia 1, the brand has also collaborated with Cologne-based furniture design studio BUDDE creating an exclusive furniture collection made of marble offcuts which can be seen at Rossana Orlandi in Via Matteo Bandello 14.

By realising impeccable global custom projects, SolidNature naturally faces a growing inventory of stone off-cuts that are usually put aside as unusable. To reassess their value and utilisation, SolidNature invited BUDDE to explore the potential of marble leftovers and to create a one-of-a-kind, contemporary design.

FIVE x SEVEN embodies a fusion of seven marble types, carefully selected and sourced from all over the world for its initially intended application purpose. Each stone tells a different story with its unique colours, textures and characteristics. Fifteen slabs are combined per piece and carved out on four sides to create a captivating shape that reveals the beauty and richness of the natural stones.

 The vibrant collection comprises five unique pieces, including two exquisite side tables, a console composed of three high tables, and two small coffee tables. All pieces have a timeless matt finish which accentuates the natural character of the material.

NOTES TO THE EDITORS

Beyond The Surface by SolidNature

17th - 23rd April 2023

Via Cernaia, 1 

20121, Milan

Press Preview:

Sunday 16th April

3pm - 7pm 

Opening Hours:

Monday 17th - Sunday 23rd

10am - 7pm 

Registration:

https://solidnature.simplybook.it/v2//

ABOUT OMA / AMO ​ ​ ​

OMA is an international practice operating within the traditional boundaries of architecture and urbanism. AMO, a research and design studio, applies architectural thinking to domains beyond. OMA is led by eight partners – Rem Koolhaas, Reinier de Graaf, Ellen van Loon, Shohei Shigematsu, Iyad Alsaka, Chris van Duijn, Jason Long, and Managing Partner-Architect David Gianotten – and maintains offices in Rotterdam, New York, Hong Kong, Doha, and Australia.

AMO often works in parallel with OMA's clients to fertilise architecture with intelligence from this array of disciplines. This is the case with Prada: AMO's research into identity, in-store technology, and new possibilities of content-production in fashion helped generate OMA's architectural designs for new Prada epicentre stores in New York and Los Angeles. In 2004, AMO was commissioned by the European Union to study its visual communication, and designed a coloured "barcode" flag, combining the flags of all member states, which was used during the Austrian presidency of the EU. ​
​https://oma.com/ 

Ellen van Loon 

Ellen van Loon joined OMA in 1998 and became Partner in 2002. She has led award-winning building projects that combine sophisticated design with precise execution.

Recently completed projects led by Ellen include the shop-in-shops for Jacquemus at Galeries Lafayette and Selfridges (2022), the temporary showroom in Doha and store on Avenue de Montaigne in Paris for Tiffany & Co. (2022-23), Monumental Wonders exhibition for SolidNature in Milan (2022). Bvlgari Fine Jewelry Show (2021), Brighton College (2020), BLOX / DAC in Copenhagen (2018), Rijnstraat 8 in The Hague (2017), and Lab City CentraleSupélec (2017).

Other projects in her portfolio include Fondation Galeries Lafayette (2018) in Paris; Qatar National Library (2017); Amsterdam’s G-Star Raw Headquarters (2014); De Rotterdam, the largest building in the Netherlands (2013); CCTV Headquarters in Beijing (2012); New Court Rothschild Bank in London (2011); Maggie’s Centre in Glasgow (2011); Casa da Musica in Porto (2005) – winner of the 2007 RIBA Award; and the Dutch Embassy in Berlin (2003) – winner of the European Union Mies van der Rohe Award in 2005.

Ellen is currently working on The Factory Manchester – a large performing arts venue for the city; the renovation of Kaufhaus des Westens (KaDeWe) Berlin – Europe’s biggest department store – and the design of Lamarr, a new department store in Vienna; and the Palais de Justice de Lille.

Giulio Margheri 

Giulio Margheri joined OMA in 2015, working across architecture, scenography, curation, research and product design. Projects Giulio has worked on include the transformation of the historic building Fondaco dei Tedeschi in Venice, and proposals for the renewal of the Galeries Lafayette in Paris, the New Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, and a new Ministry of Sound in London.

In an ongoing collaboration with Prada and Miu Miu, Giulio has designed the sets of Prada and Miu Miu runway shows and developed the brands’ online presence and retail set-up. He recently led the design of retail and scenography projects for Jacquemus, Tiffany & Co., ​ BVLGARI and the Dutch natural stone brand SolidNature.

Giulio has also worked on the set design and curation of institutional exhibitions including Recycling Beauty at Fondazione Prada in Milan (2022); Manifesta12 in Palermo (2018), and PANDA at the Oslo Architecture Triennale (2016).

Prior to joining OMA, Giulio worked for Ipostudio in Florence, OFIS in Ljubljana and TD architects in Amsterdam. From 2012 to 2014, he conducted urban research at the I2A - Institute of Architecture in Switzerland, and at Strelka Institute for Architecture Media and Design in Moscow.

ABOUT SABINE MARCELIS

Sabine Marcelis is a Dutch designer who runs her practice from the harbour of Rotterdam. After graduating from the Design Academy of Eindhoven in 2011, Marcelis began working as an independent designer within the fields of product, installation and spatial design with a strong focus on materiality. Her work is characterised by pure forms which highlight material properties.

Marcelis applies a strong aesthetic point of view to her collaborations with industry specialists. This method of working allows her to intervene in the manufacturing process, using material research and experimentation to achieve new and surprising visual effects for projects both showcased in museums and commissioned by commercial clients and fashion houses. Sabine considers her designs to be true sensorial experiences and not simple static works: the experience becomes the function, with a refined and unique aesthetic. 

Sabine recently won the prestigious Wallpaper awards ‘ Designer of the year 2020’, the Design Prize 2019 in the 'Newcomer of the year' category, The Elle Deco International Design award 2019 'Young designer of the year’ and ‘GQ Men of the year 2019’ International Artist of the year.

https://sabinemarcelis.com/ 

ABOUT BITA FAYYAZI

Fayyazi is regarded as one of the most progressive and influential contemporary artists to have emerged from Tehran in recent times. Considered a key supporter and patron of the new wave of Iranian artists, she has collaborated with key talents including Rokni Haerizadeh in 2009's ‘There Goes The Neighbourhood’, at Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde. In May 2010, she showed at Thaddaeus Ropac Gallery in Paris, coinciding with a major performance and installation at the Fondation Louis Vuitton.

With over 15 years experience working in sculpture and ceramics, Fayyazi spent seven years living in the UK before returning to Iran in 1980, where she currently works and teaches in a private studio in Tehran.

ABOUT STUDIO OSSIDIANA

Studio Ossidiana is a practice based in Rotterdam that works at the crossroads of architecture and design, led by Giovanni Bellotti and Alessandra Covini. Balancing research and fabrication, the practice explores innovative approaches through research, materials, objects, installations, and buildings. Poetic and thought-provoking, Studio Ossidiana’s ambition is to design usable and generous spaces, materials, and concepts, to both participate in a global architectural debate, as well as ground the thinking in the built environment, through permanent or temporary projects. In 2018, SO was awarded the Dutch Prix de Rome, the most prestigious prize in the Netherlands for architects under the age of 35. ​ Studio Ossidiana’s work has been exhibited in collective and solo exhibitions, among which Shenzhen Architecture Biennial (2022), Venice Biennale (2021), Arkdes (2021), Istanbul Architecture Biennale (2021), Chicago Architecture Biennale (2021). 

ABOUT BUDDE

BUDDE is a furniture design studio based in Cologne, Germany, founded by Architect Johannes Budde and Meike Papenfuss in 2019.

The duo complements each other on their mission to “enrich homes and inspire minds” with their contemporary furniture collections. While Johannes Budde is the creative mind behind BUDDE, Meike Papenfuss connects the dots between design and business.

All designs share a common essence – they eliminate excess and focus on pure forms that integrate seamlessly into various living spaces. Shaped by his background in Architecture, Johannes Budde views furniture as integrative components of space, not as additive objects.

For their recent work, exclusively represented by Rossana Orlandi, BUDDE collaborated with SolidNature, a leading global curator and purveyor of the finest natural stone, to create an exclusive five-piece collection using marble off-cuts.

Since 2011, SolidNature has been synonymous with exquisite materials and unmatched craftsmanship. To bring the beauty of nature into the future, SolidNature’s ability to realise impeccable global projects from public spaces, hotels, yachts, spas to high-end residential, has attracted designers and architects, all the way through to brands as iconic as Fendi, Prada and Knoll.