At Marmomac, Carisma Materico showcases new possibilities for stone construction, between design and technology

The way lithic material is interpreted and used in architecture is currently undergoing a profound transformation, poised between the need to preserve the ancient knowledge associated with stoneworking and the increasingly rapid drive for technological innovation. This tension lies at the heart of the research that Raffaello Galiotto brings to The Bedrock with the exhibition Carisma Materico, the exhibition space in Hall 10 at Marmomac, the leading trade fair for the stone industry, which will celebrate its 60th edition at Veronafiere from 22 to 25 September.

Computer-aided design and digital manufacturing technologies applied to machinery now enable highly complex, extremely precise and reliably repeatable processes, opening up new constructive and expressive possibilities for stone. According to Galiotto, this evolution is not only about what technology makes possible, but also calls for a reconsideration of the way stone expresses the inherent qualities of the material through forms, surfaces and processing techniques, with increasing attention also being paid to reducing its environmental impact.

“The four installations in the exhibition stem from different questions about the nature of stone and the way we can transform it through design. I wanted to explore what happens when an apparently immutable material is lightened, hollowed out, traversed or broken down, taking its characteristics beyond our immediate perception. Technology thus becomes a tool for exploring what stone can still offer, revealing possibilities that go beyond the way we are accustomed to knowing and using it,” comments Raffaello Galiotto.

The relationship between mass and lightness is challenged by IRONSTONE GRANDE FORMATO, created by Arredo di Pietra. Made entirely of travertine, the installation appears as an enormous block of stone, tilted and suspended in a precarious balance, almost a monolithic mass defying gravity. Yet walking around it reveals the illusion: the volume is hollow and surprisingly lightweight, consisting of just three Ironstone slabs. Large dimensions, traditionally one of the challenges in the use of stone, thus become an architectural opportunity thanks to an innovative composite stone panel system.

Moving from mass to surface, SGUINCI PERMEABILI, created by Gruppo Tosco Marmi, brings the depth and substance of the material to the fore. The project draws on an element of medieval defensive architecture: the splayed openings designed to provide visibility towards the outside while reducing the vulnerability of fortifications. Here, the splayed form becomes the motif for constructing two angled walls, carved through a sequence of concentric rings cut directly from the slab by waterjet and then reassembled in continuity, without generating material waste.

The surface thus acquires a strong three-dimensional quality, further enhanced by the use of five varieties of marble (Palissandro Reale, Classico, Bluette, Nuvolato and Oniciato) which bring out their different chromatic and material qualities. While Ironstone Grande Formato and Sguinci Permeabili explore respectively stone’s relationship with weight and surface, with APORIA, designed by Studio Nico Sandri and created with Peroni Guido in Crystal Sunset, the material instead becomes a physical experience.

The title refers to the philosophical concept of aporía, the mind coming to a halt when faced with an insoluble paradox. The work translates this condition into the form of a stone pyramid, a symbol of immutability and geometric rigour, literally split in two. The fracture reveals a dual nature: on the outside, the stone is rough and irregular, marked by the force of the rupture; inside, it becomes a corridor shaped within the deepest part of the block, where the veining and micro-texture invite exploration and touch.

This also marks an important shift in the relationship between the work and the observer: those who walk through Aporia no longer remain in front of the work but become part of it. The space created by the fracture transforms a wound in the material into a place of contemplation, bringing the roughness of the exterior into dialogue with the more intimate and silent dimension of its interior. Finally, PARTITURA IN MARMO, designed by architect Mario Botta and created by Marmi Ghirardi, definitively transcends the massive dimension of stone, transforming it into rhythm, filter and light.

The work reprises the system of Botticino marble strips designed by Botta for the elliptical structure of the Teatro alla Scala in Milan: 6,500 linear metres of elements of different lengths, arranged like the strings of an instrument and, when positioned in front of the glazed façade, also serving as a sunshading system, filtering light and reducing heat. Behind the visual lightness of the installation lies a complex technical challenge. The strips, up to 2,480 millimetres long, are reinforced with steel plates and fixed to the structure at just two points using concealed inserts.

Their production required the design and construction of a dedicated machine, as no system available on the market was capable of carrying out all the required operations: from calibration and brushing to the cuts needed to insert the reinforcements. The four works thus demonstrate how the dialogue between what stone has been and what it can still become – between material, design and technology – can open up a new chapter in the culture of stone in architecture.