Delta Collection by Formafantasma

Theca, cabinet (2016).

Theca, cabinet (2016). Materials include; maple wood, “Navona” travertine marble & gilded brass.

Domus Table(2016).

Eclipse, ceiling lamp (2016). Materials include; polished gilded brass, travertine, perspex, gilded guitar strings & LED.

Eclipse, ceiling lamp (2016).

Magnifier, floor lamp (2016). Materials include; polished gilded brass, glass, travertine & LED.

Reflector, table lamp (2016). Materials include; polished gilded brass, bronze, travertine & LED.

Delta is a collection of sublime objects, and the fruit of the collaboration between the Roman design gallery Giustini / Stagetti Galleria O. Roma and Formafantasma. The project, curated by Domitilla Dardi, is part of the gallery’s program ’Privato Romano Interno’ curated by Emanuela Nobile Mino. Since 2012, after the first collection designed by Fernando & Humberto Campana, the gallery has commissioned international designers to use Rome as a source of inspiration for new furniture pieces.

Formafantasma drew inspiration from the delta of a river – a landform that forms from deposits of debris carried by water over centuries. More then referring directly to the river Tevere, the main watercourse of Rome, the title of the collection expresses the characteristic mix of architectural styles of the city, which have – as sediments – crated layers of Rome over the centuries.

In their work, Andrea and Simone often find knowledge in the past. Almost as in a study-trip to the city, Formafantasma visited the numerous Roman archeological venues and museums, accumulating a large number of photos and documents which became the foundation of their collection designed over a one year period. During this time a clear selection of materials emerged – marble, metal, porcelain and wood, with a collection consisting of a large number of lights, some vessels, an oil lantern, a cabinet and a mirror.

The designers were particularly attracted by very mundane objects of the Imperial Rome and, while some artifacts shown in the museums have served as inspiration, others have been directly sampled and carefully updated for the contemporary use. In the case of the porcelain pieces, for instance, the designers decided to change as little as possible in their form, and even chose colours with a very clear reference to the history of Roman pottery – in contrast to contemporary fashion, red was used for almost 500 years and black for other 500. The only addition to the very sober pallet is a subtile off-white colour.

Magnifier, ceiling Lamp (2016). Materials include; polished gilded brass, glass & LED.

Magnifier, ceiling Lamp (2016).

Regula, lamp (2016). Materials include; manually mirror polished continuous, casting bronze bar, steel cable, lost-wax nail & LED.

Imago, mirror (2016). Materials include; Ring: Gilded brass, Guitar string: Bronze, Big ring: Brass & Mirror: Gilded mirrored steel.

Lake, bowl (2016). Materials include; glided brass.

Aurea, table oil lamp (2016). Materials include; hand-coated and polished lost-wax & casting bronze.

Helmet, table lamp (2016). Materials include; polished gilded brass & LED.

Acquedotto I – II – III (2016). Porcelain water pitcher, oil dispenser and vinegar dispenser.

In most cases, the lights pair travertine stone with brass. In one of the pieces, a thin LED lighting disc hangs in front of another one in stone, formally recalling the central opening in the Pantheon ceiling, while the light reflected on the travertine recreates the particular feeling of the sun illuminating the Roman buildings. The Helmet light is designed in such a way to remove the switch and transform the action of activating the light in a gesture – via turning the wings in different positions, the light goes either on or off.

The rigorous beauty of the ruins surviving over the centuries, stripped down of almost any decoration and the functional perfection of the utilitarian objects, appeared to the designers as extremely contemporary and naturally connected to some of the 20th century rational architecture built in Rome. Because of this, especially in the cabinet, the gridded timber containers mounted on the travertine structure, recall both the marble benches on the terrace of the ‘Palace of Congress’ by Adalberto Libera and Luigi Moretti’s SGI building at the EUR area in Rome.

Delta collection is a coherent body of work that more then delivers a portrait of a city – it uses design to draw unexpected links between historical periods in search for timelessness.

See other projects by Formafantasma on Yellowtrace here.