ExCinere Volcanic Ash Glazed Tiles for Architectural Surfaces Designed by Formafantasma

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The result of more than three years of research and experimentation, ExCinere is a refined collection of volcanic ash-glazed tiles suitable for both interior and exterior surfaces; from kitchen counters and bathroom floors to architectural facade cladding. At this year’s Fuorisalone and as part of Alcova, Dzek and Formafantasma will present this new collection in a landscape of tiled architectural elements. The installation will explore some of the many potential combinations and outcomes that the various formats and glazes allow.

Amsterdam-based design studio Formafantasma have been researching the potential of volcanic lava as a design material since 2010. Andrea Trimarchi, one of the two founders of Formafantasma, grew up in Sicily against the dramatic backdrop of Mount Etna. Over time, Trimarchi and partner Simone Farresin have observed the detrimental impact of mass-tourism on both the landscape and culture of Sicily. Their 2014 project, De Natura Fossilium, addressed this by thoroughly investigating the culture of lava in the Mount Etna and Stromboli regions of Italy and culminating in a collection of expertly-crafted glass, basalt and textile works.

The ExCinere project was conceived as a means to further explore the application of this most fascinating naturally-occurring, self-generating, and abundant material. Dzek and Formafantasma have collaborated to produce a useful architectural product that makes full use of volcanic lava’s material properties. As Formafantasma poignantly observed, “Mount Etna is a mine without miners; it is excavating itself to expose its raw materials.”

The relationship between the human and the volcano; one of the most visceral symbols for the untameable force of nature, is ridden with allegory. And so this project also became a battle of wills between man and volcano. Although Volcanic ash and basalt rock may appear inert, their high metal oxide content makes them complex and unpredictable to work with. Three years of exploding, imploding, cracking and caving were endured before ExCinere’s careful balance of porcelain body, ash glazes, firing temperature and method was achieved.

ExCinere is available in two sizes and five volcanic glazes. These various surfaces are created by mixing varying quantities, particle sizes and densities of volcanic matter, resulting in surfaces that are evocative of the dynamic landscape from which they come.