The fountain in the undergrowth of a marble forest is the place where life is born. The forest grows in water and shows the maximum vitality and liveliness of the Bardiglio, Calacatta, Statuarietto and Carrara marbles.

The ripples that float in the water are a symbol of life, delicacy, growth, power and harmony that are reflected in stone carvings.

Both Japanese designers with a broad work experience in architecture, interior and space, product, industrial and packaging design. Setsu Ito, graduated from The University of Tsukuba, began collaborating with Alchimia_Alessandro Mendini, and then with great master Angelo Mangiarotti. Shinobu Ito, graduated from Tama Art University in Tokyo, started her career for CBS Sony in Sony Creative Products and attained a Master Degree at Domus Academy, Milan. They opened their design studio in 1997. They have received numerous international design awards such as “Compasso d’ Oro” (IT). They are visiting professors of Politecnico of Milan, Raffles Milano (IT) and The University of Tsukuba and Tama Art University (JP). Both are Fellow Researcher of the Research Center for Advanced Science & Technology at The University of Tokyo (JP). They are a part of jury of the IF Design Award 2015 (DE).

Headquarters:
Via Brigate Partigiane, 13
54033 Carrara (MS) Italy
Tel. +39 0585 776433
info@rbmarmi.it

Curated by Vincenzo Pavan

The natural environment as the fusion of two worlds – geological and biological – can be explained and interpreted as an enclosed space, a room open to the sky above. Just like Hortus conclusus, that embodied in a microcosm of symbols the desire of the Mediaeval world for a deep bond with nature and the supernatural, the Lithic Garden can now be a place where the interplay between geo and bio materials can generate new ideas for the human habitat, in a desired and sought-after relationship based on sustainability, balance and harmony with nature.
This is the goal of Lithic Garden exhibition entrusted to the creativity of designers of international calibre in collaboration with companies in the stone sector having a focus on experiments with innovative technologies in the processing of materials.
The stone gardens wind along a paved path offering horizontal and vertical surfaces, seats and sculptural elements, vegetable and water inserts, giving life to a design that finds in the participating companies ideal partners for experimenting with new generation technologies in transformation of stone materials.