Policroma by Cristina Celestino
A Geometric interaction of Milanese Coloured Marbles with Coloured Marmorino plaster in Bordered Arches, Squares, Circles, Semi-circles and Rectangles that can be freely mixed and re-combined
The Policroma ceramics collection offers an aesthetic formula that incorporates both the stylistic canons of classicism and those of a compositional and expressive code more in line with modern taste, skilfully combining them in a well calculated mix. The collection’s repertoire of large slabs features motifs inspired by two separate sources: on the one hand the exquisite, always surprising vein texture of coloured marbles, and on the other the sophisticated colours of marmorino plaster.
The many different elements that make up the Policroma collection all reflect the importance of craftsmanship to Cristina Celestino’s design style: the modules can be freely mixed and combined, for example to create a concave or convex semicircle, or for the large-scale replication of small features initially conceived as trims, functional details transformed into a dominant motif. In Milan style, of course.
This dual reference to the surfaces of marble (and rare, or even extinct types at that) and those created by a category of plaster decoration that aims to imitate the shine of marble itself, is the key to Cristina Celestino’s project. In spite of their different natures, these two materials are embedded in the culture of Italian architecture: their substance and appearance evoke the modes of construction and decoration typical of Italy’s urban and rural landscape in various periods, defining and characterising its buildings – especially in some specific regions – both inside and outside.
A rounded arch is then used to offer suggestions for combining the two decors in the same ceramic covering, which becomes a marvellous inlaid area for use alongside other, similar zones to generate a rich web of figurative weaves and possible two-dimensional patterns, each with its own specific visual impact.
The collection is completed by a straight listel tile with the motif of a sequence of vertical rectangular blocks, which can be combined with the slabs to ornament compositions involving continuous ceramic covering surfaces.
