The story behind Novecento marble lamp.
From the design to the production.
CONCEPT
The idea behind Novecento was born in a rather unusual way: by watching Baz Luhrmann's "The Great Gatsby" .
Ever since high school I have had a deep interest in Art Nouveau and Art Deco. The film prompted me to re-think this style. I paged through books and surfed the Internet extensively, and came to the conclusion that I had to use materials taken from the past but perceived as contemporary at the same time. Brass and marble came to mind as the most logical, almost inevitable choices. From the point of view of design I chose two basic shapes, triangles and circles, as a key to my project. This would give a personal touch to an otherwise obvious imitation of Art Deco items.
New shooting in Venice - Palazzo Cavalli Franchetti - Canal Grande
MARBLE
The marbles for the lamp have been chosen for reasons of style and viability. The marbles had to express Art Deco taste but at the same time be easily available. Many types of Italian marble in fact no longer exist or are very difficult to find because the quarries have meanwhile been closed. For these reasons, I selected Nero Marquinia and Bianco di Carrara.
BRASS
A skilled craftsman with more than 30 years of experience folds the brass rod by hand at room temperature without having to heat the material. In order to be more accurate, he uses a template that helps in the folding of the piece. Brass is a fascinating material but much harder to work and weld compared with iron or steel.
I could have used another metal and then finished it off to imitate brass, but I prefer the genuine features of a material to show.
LABEL
The final touch to Novecento, is the label that guarantees its authenticity. This is usually a neglected element, because it is often difficult to see, on the back of products. I wanted to be consistent with the whole project, so I decided to design this element properly, too. I decided to use brass. A thin plate is engraved by a drill electronically controlled by a computer, according to the design required. Once the engraving process is over, the craftsman enamels the engraved letters. Then he polishes the surface and smoothes the sharp edges, to make the plate safer and more beautiful
