Fantini Mosaici celebrates the art of contemporary mosaic

Double appointment in Dubai for Fantini Mosaici that presented at Downtown Design two spectacular creations: "Carved in the Now" by AB+AC Architects and "Mirage", the first collection of mosaics designed by the Swiss artist Anne-Marie Fischer.

Fantini Mosaici exploration towards the future of mosaic continues. After the Back to the Future installation at Fuorisalone 2023, the company now amazes the world of contemporary design with a fascinating creation by AB+AC Architects by Arianna Bavuso and Andre Chedid. The studio, commissioned by Downtown Design to design the entrance hall to the 2023 edition of the event, created "Carved in the Now" an immersive multi-sensory experience.

The project highlights the potential of mosaic work with a modern approach that chooses the path of sustainability by using processing scraps, granting total freedom to the cutting, to the size of the tiles and to the mix with other elements.

Visitors, welcomed in a reception area delimited by white walls covered with soundabsorbing foam panels, enter the octagonal pavilion which houses the work made by hand by the master mosaicists of Fantini Mosaici: the curtains open to reveal an enchanting cave of light, made up of precious mosaic yellow Siena stones, Murano glass, citrine crystals and shards of gold leaf.

As the authors declare: “We took our design inspiration from the city of Dubai, with its dream for a unified humanity and a desire to push the boundaries and limits of architecture and design. 'Carved in the Now' is an encapsulating, kaleidoscopic room where the spiritual qualities of joy, abundance and creative transformation are projected in the infinite thanks to the fascinating magic of mirrors positioned both on the floor and ceiling, that create the illusion of a tower, seemingly carved from the cave, rising both overhead and underfoot.”

The experience is amplified by the use of light, sound and mirrors, while therapeutic crystals mixed with the mosaic generate an aura of contemplation and reflection.

“The powerful message that we want to express through this hand-crafted artwork – say the architects - is inviting you to stay, slow down and discover, while replenishing your energy.”

Fantini Mosaici has a long tradition of projects in the United Arab Emirates: from the Grand Mosque to the Qasr Al Watan Presidential Palace in Abu Dhabi, from the Palazzo Versace Hotel and Resort to the luxury boutiques created for Hermès, Louis Vuitton and Cartier.

As Enrico Fantin, CEO and President of Fantini Mosaici says: "As a testament to our dedication to the region, we have proudly exhibited at Downtown Design for the past decade. This year, we are thrilled to announce our sponsorship of the main entrance, featuring a specially commissioned octagonal space that houses 'Carved in the Now' – a one-of-a-kind experience that will inspire architects and designers to reimagine the use of mosaic in their projects.”

“Carved in the Now” is a composition that evokes the excellence of Italian know-how, celebrating a thousand-year-old tradition that evolves in the light of contemporaneity.

Fantini Mosaici promotes innovation in the world of mosaics by involving great international artists in its research and experimentation activity. In addition to signing the main entrance to the event, the company is present in the Italian Pavilion of Downtown Design with "Mirage", the mosaics collection that inaugurates the collaboration with the Swiss designer Anne-Marie Fischer. With an exclusive design by the Swiss artist, the "Mirage" represents the artist’s passion for harmoniously combining colour, shapes and dimensions to create equilibrium through a calculated balance of movement, proportion and rhythm.

In the moment of creation, says the author “these blue figures appeared, and I had to somehow capture them before they disappeared again”.

From a dream, a vision that arose spontaneously and soon dissolved, she created a corpus with 12 panels with deep blue figures in enamel on a light background in marble, with minimal accents in gold. Every detail finds its right place and, tile after tile, the composition comes to life thanks to the meticulous work of the master mosaicists of Fantini Mosaici. Anne-Marie Fischer also stated that “the “Mirage” collection was created in my forest studio, in the middle of the night, using the paper collage technique.” In fact, the artist works in two studios: one is located in an industrial building with large windows, in the center of Zurich, the other in a wooden house in a Swiss forest, a secluded corner that allows her to retreat and concentrate completely on her creations.

“In all my work I seek simplification, and for this reason I chose only a few components from Fantini Mosaici’s beautiful and varied mosaic collection.”

“Mirage” is the demonstration of how versatile mosaic work can be and how it can interpret contemporaneity.

Enrico Fantin, CEO and President of Fantini Mosaici, comments:

“We are delighted to be partnering with Anne-Marie Fischer for this pioneering collection, where once again we are able to show yet another way that mosaic can be used to keep the tradition relevant and in line with modern trends. We are sure that ‘Mirage’ will inspire artists, architects and designers to rethink how they can incorporate this handcrafted and sustainable material in their future projects.”