Contemporary monumental works hanging amid shapes, visions, and concepts for the challenging installation created by Metrogramma for Margraf at the 2014 edition of Marmomacc.
The presence of this historical Vicenza-based company at this leading showcase for the industry celebrates the beauty of marble, as well as the technological excellence acquired in 108 years of unconditioned research and innovation work. This also provides the opportunity to unveil possible scenarios of coexistence where local landscapes and the unrelenting attempt to retrieve their spacial dimensions go hand in hand with overwhelmingly, mechanical urban skylines permanently dotted with gray clouds and concrete.
These scenarios represent the typical duality of this company that loves to match the wild natural streaks and textures of its raw materials with sumptuous and opulent decors and finishings. Metrogramma has fully interpreted and even captured this concept, which is embodied by two extraordinary installations inside and outside the stand respectively, representing this farsighted company based in Chiampo.
Hanging Gardens consists of two modular latticed structures of reinforcing bars, arranged in a shaky balance which almost seems to be yearning to be filled with concrete. Instead there are marble slabs hanging randomly and green plants protrude from of the pores and voids of a grid-like structure.
The two modules that surround Margraf's area provide an attractive enclosure of the stand interiors, yet without any solid closure. They are complemented by long standing elements on a slim pedestal supporting an asymmetrical cantilever mimicking cranes: a design reproducing the continuous process of becoming that goes beyond the clearing of the construction yard and continues with the life that animates man-made environments. Climbing plants alternate with marble slabs hanging lightly from the metal cages forming a symbiotic and peaceful coexistence.
Outside, the installation features more steadfast and permanent proportions recalling the trees and elevated squares embellished by luscious marble and steel braziers, as well as nature-born sounds.
Both constructions are clearly inspired by Yona Friedman's "feasible utopias" both in terms of the material manifestation and the visionary goal of a peaceful coexistence of man-made artefacts and nature within contemporary urban settings.
Marble is a monumental, rugged material that has been traditionally associated with ancient Italian master sculptors. Its combination with the underlying, lightweight sub-structure, designed to bear the slabs, results in a semantic arrangement forming Hanging Gardens that are a new type of counterpoint focusing on monumental endurance rather than the immediate, transitory appearance of the scenographic installation.
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