Precious Marble Brought into Life
An interesting example of how a scrap could be brought back to life are the Piero Lissoni tables, presented in Salone del Mobile 2019. His work is an example of how wastage could be turned into a unique piece of furniture with outstanding value using the Japanese technique Kintsugi (‘’golden repair’’). Shards of material are glued together and the joint is painted in gold. This approach is based on the Wabi Sabi philosophy according to which everything should be accepted and appreciated with its imperfections. The ‘’scars’’ after Kintsugi are not seen as something unpleasant and do not bring bad memories of how an object was destroyed. They became part of it and turned into something positive.
They are made by scraps of precious marble, which is used for buildings with high significance as the St. Peter Basilica, Notre Dame de Paris, Mies Van der Rohe Barcelona Pavillion etc. As every piece is with the same unique shade as the building which is part of. The fact that you are drinking your coffee on such a precious piece of design is not only a good marketing strategy but also brings a specific atmosphere to space itself. The objects with history are not only special for the people who work in that sphere, but also for everyone who could appreciate the art itself. Brought amongst the public into an informal atmosphere, these materials could be enjoyed which is a far better option than being hidden in the bin.
Another important thing is that these tables would stimulate a dialogue about different ways that materials could be reused and probably would turn recycled objects a trend and made them more sellable. Moreover, these tables would probably be placed in coffee shops or bars attended by the wealthy people, who would have the power and the influence to make their voice heard and help the cause. For example, a car producing company CEO could come up with an innovative idea of how to reuse the old cars of its users. But even if it is placed into a coffee attended by the middle-class people, they would be influenced by it too and next time instead of buying something, they would choose the alternative to fix their old stuff. Using a furniture with a story behind it, especially in a social space could lead to changes not only in the way people perceive the words “wastage’’, ‘’recycling’’, ‘’fixing’’, but also would contribute to solving the problem with the lamps of wastage on the Earth and preserve the natural resources.
Recycling and reusing materials is something that more and more designers turn to because of the global problem with a high amount of wastage. Nowadays, the designers do not face the lack of resources but some of them are knowledgeable enough to understand the outcomes of the industrial revolution. While back then they were focused on exploring new materials and ways of producing, now is the time when we should focus on how to turn the wastage into the everyday objects we need. In my opinion, if the designers could come up with innovative and appealing for the market products, made by recycled materials, this would lead to actions and make a difference globally.
