MONUMENTAL WONDERS BY SABINE MARCELIS 2022 - Side Gallery

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MONUMENTAL WONDERS BY SABINE MARCELIS

MONUMENTAL WONDERS BY SABINE MARCELIS

ALCOVA
MILAN
JUNE 7TH - 12TH 2022

The exhibition spanned across five rooms at Alcova’s Lavanderia building and demonstrated a range of innovative strategies for the manipulation of natural and semi-precious stones. Solid Nature showcased the beauty of its natural stone from the start with its luminous portal comprising nine different types of onyx, assembled in sequence by OMA to form a vibrant threshold. Through this entranceway, the inspiring work of Sabine Marcelis took center stage.

Visitors to Alcova were greeted by a monolithic, state of the art bathroom of Pink Pale Hue Onyx which is meant to be viewed from every angle as a free-standing sculpture. Seeming to glow from within, each element of the playful installation has been meticulously taken into account by the designer, who has created a piece where form and function coexists organically.

Sabine Marcelis stated: ‘There is, for sure, a clear intent in everything I design. It’s very much about getting to the core of something and stripping back any decorative elements. I always design things with function in mind, but maybe when you see the installation in person for the first time, it doesn’t look like the most functional thing. It’s a delicate balance of aesthetics, materiality, form language, and function.’


Solid Nature’s “Monumental Wonders” culminated with the Lab Room. Here, the expert natural stone manufacturer presented the possibilities of the materials through a colorful display of marble samples, arranged by gradient. Most spectacularly, Solid Nature demonstrated the experimentation of the material, by using marble dust which is still in an early stage of development.

Visitors were invited to learn two techniques of working with dust: the first consists of casting the dust together with resin to create new textures, while the second process generates new colorways of stones by blowing air inside a case containing different stone dusts. This method has been largely used by Solid Nature and the most well-known example of this can be seen in the bright pink stone used for the elevator of Fondazione Prada’s Torre.