Marazzi Group presents Marazzi and Ragno at the important Bologna event with a large exhibition area, subdivided into three zones, all completely covered with ceramic tiles. The design concept arises from the desire to prove that ceramic tiles are now truly a material capable of “creating architecture”. Breaking with a long tradition in the display of materials, ceramic tiles are now no longer merely the “material to be presented”; instead, they are a genuine construction tool. The outside of the structure consists of high walls, carrying products which have received prizes and awards in the last two years, “Soho” by Marazzi and Arkitessuto” by Ragno, with two symmetrical openings.
In the centre, the Marazzi Group area is for use as a lounge and reception zone. With red the dominant colour, it houses the absolute preview of a new and future ceramic project designed by the Dal Lago firm. This is a hyper-technical ceramic material, using an exclusive technology, developed in eighteen bright colours + 1, and three different finishes. The project is called, quite simply, A: it is the start of a new way of making ceramic tiles. The space is completed by metal coffee tables with multicoloured ceramic tops, and chairs and lights by big-name designers (from Ron Arad to Paolo Rizzatto and Vico Magistretti). Suggesting a new model of “ceramic conviviality”. The Marazzi area, which opens out to one side of this central zone, has a cross-shaped ground plan, with an impluvium-like middle section and four “rooms”.
Each of them contains a new Marazzi collection, moving from the high-tech “Monolith” and “Materie” to the fond memories evoked by the “Paris” series, the accentuation of ceramic tiles’ modernity presented in “Straight”, and the allure of absolute luxury, with the precious stones of “Gemstone”. This installation is placed in an open context, almost creating the impression of an urban square, while attention is carefully focused on the primary role of the ceramic tiles themselves. On the other side the Ragno stand, introduced by multimedia effect, comprises a closepacked sequence of spaces in line, in which Ragno, maintaining its links to the world of interior decoration, offers, transposed into ceramic terms, the softness of fabric with the Textile series, the cheerful attraction of striped and shaded colours in the Hiline collection, a return to the materials of the
Mediterranean tradition, given a technological update, in Riflessi, and the pure, bright vibrant colour of Multiline.
The architect Paolo Cesaretti, assisted by Manuel Viliotti and Camilla Amadio, has provided the styling of the Ragno presentation: “ceramic tiles as a clothing for space, a total look with furniture as its accessories. A world that speaks the language of interior design, and interprets contemporary lifestyles. Six large wall compositions where the product is used to create modern domestic scenarios, with the furniture represented by simple silhouettes. Through this abstract, iconic, stimulating display, Ragno continues to conceive of ceramic tiles as an effective tool for creation, designed for the greatest possible freedom of expression.”
A visit to the Marazzi Group stand thus becomes an overview of the most innovative contemporary trends, proving that ceramic tiles are now a mature product, superseding any one definition or image, capable of representing the most widely varying emotions and desires.