The starting point is the desire to grasp the true essence of Venice, which they have identified with the phenomenon of the high tides that invade the urban fabric, creating exceptional effects. The stones of Venice, its surface, its walls are an ode to stratification, a masterpiece of vital imperfection – as Ruskin would have said – that creates a spontaneous decoration that sinks into the material, even prior to the architecture.
Zanellato and Bortotto bring this vivid reality into fabrics for Rubelli, with changing hues that remind us of the lichen that coats the walls of palaces along the canals; but also into the La Serenissima upholstered furniture system for Moroso, which starts from the layering of Venetian stones to make seats that spring from the same compositional idea; or the Giudecca carpet for cc-tapis, which reinterprets the image of marble steps bathed in the water of the lagoon.
Obviously glass had to be a factor: and here too, the Venetian duo make use of an ancient local form of workmanship, and with Ongaro & Fuga they have created a mirror and a lamp that counter the linear character of their geometric support with decoration that resembles petals and leaves, generating an effect of perfect balance between organic and abstract.
Closer to the theme of transparency in glass, also in multiple color variants, Matteo Zorzenoni has designed Blow Bowl and Twist for NasonMoretti, both works that link back to very old techniques of glass blowing, reinterpreted with the freshness of contemporary design.
The most international member of this generation of Venetian talents, Luca Nichetto, is still proud of his background as well. Operating in Italy, Northern Europe and the Far East, Nichetto brings a Venetian accent to the heart of his projects. Besides the reference to glass – see his Gémo inspired by the ground glass lamps of the Venetian tradition – the image Nichetto seems to have brought with him in his design wanderings is that of the boats on the canals and the lagoon.