From time to time, material used by mankind for eons, finds new implementation thanks to advanced technology. After centuries of subjecting stone to hammer and chisel, the material is now facing a whole new world of uses thanks to computer controlled (CNC) machinery, diamond saws and water-jet cutting tools. The main players are Italian product designers and architects bold enough to demand the impossible of stone.
One of the driving forces in this respect is industrial designer Raffaello Galiotto of Italy’s Chiampo Valley, a natural stone ElDorarado on the southern rim of the Alps. In Marmomacc’s Hall 1, within the frame of the so-called „Stone Theatre“, he presents his most recent objects, realized with the help of leading Italian producers of value-added stone products. The title of the project is „Digital Lithic Design”.
In alphabetical order these are: Antolini, Breton, Decormarmi, Denver, Donatoni, Gmm, Helios, Intermac, Lithos Design, Odone Angelo-Gruppo Tosco Marmi, Omag, Pellegrini-Margraf, T&D Robotics.
Galliotto’s works can be categorized in two main groups: some are large, almost monumental, often incorporating the designer’s thought that marble is far too valuable to allow for waste around the raw block. The other group comprises tiny filigree pieces which demonstrate most effectively the possibilities which natural stone gains by combining design and technology.
Marmomacc, September 30 – October 03, 2015
Raffaello Galiotto Industrial Design
Photos/Renderings: Raffaello Galiotto
(06.09.2015, USA: 09.06.2015)