Mercurio is a centerpiece inspired by Alchemy designed for the Italian brand Mirage.
Alchemy was a discipline between empirical science and art, focused on transforming simple powders into valuable materials. Mirage, a porcelain stoneware product, shares the same concepts with this deeply cultural discipline such as the pursuit of perfection, creative drive, imitation of natural elements, and their overcoming.
The Mercurio centerpiece is the result of this connection, representing the stylized alchemical symbol of silver,which was once associated with the innermost planet of our solar system. It consists of two intersecting planes of porcelain stoneware with a shiny aluminum profile and gray-white shades, reminiscent of the planet Mercury. The centerpiece is a simple object designed to enhance the stoneware slab but also serves a double purpose with an open horizontal slit for small flowers or branches, paying homage to the Japanese art of Ikebana and reinforcing the alchemical origin of this object.
mercurio
PRODUCT DESIGN
“Mercury's chemical symbol, Hg, comes from the Greek “hydrargyrum” meaning liquid silver.”
— Alice Ballabio
Featured
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“Appassionata dello storytelling che si cela dietro ogni prodotto, la designer Alice Ballabio ha immaginato per il suo centrotavola una storia che rimanda all’antica disciplina praticata dagli alchimisti che, in questo caso, si riunisce nella sapiente lavorazione dell’argento con il grès porcellanato Mirage.”
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“Inspired by alchemy, the ancient discipline aimed at the transmutation of simple powders into materials of great value, @aliceballabio designed an object to beautify the ceramic slabs of Mirage, into which small flowers or twigs can be inserted as a tribute to the Japanese technique of Ikebana.”
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“L’exhibition, composta da arredi, complementi e opere d’arte in gres porcellanato e altri materiali, illustra come gli elementi reali, digitali, naturali e tecnologici siano talmente integrati da fondersi in un unico multiverso espressivo […]”
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“Ne nasce una promozione della cultura nei luoghi di studio che mira a dar voce e valorizzare i progettisti del futuro attraverso i nuovi linguaggi progettuali e un’esplorazione di come i prodotti dell'azienda Mirage permettono ai designer di allargare i confini della disciplina ed espandere le loro possibilità.”
