Here is the text Michele De Lucchi wrote for the “Dalla terra alla Terra” (”From earth to the Earth”) installation, that will be held at the Milan Triennale during Fuorisalone 2009.

Ceramic is a marvellous material, not only as it is functional, cosy, solid, long-lasting, resistant, natural and eco-friendly, but also because it is earth. The earth is all we have and it is, both physically and metaphorically, our most precious material. Ceramic can create surfaces featuring any colour or finish and it allows for countless combinations of decors, natural imitations and creative geometries.

Too often though, we associate ceramic tiles exclusively with wall and floor coverings and too often we forget the majesty of this material, using it only to keep, unaltered over time, the welcoming feeling of a tile covered wall or flooring. But, a ceramic tile is earth, therefore it is an excellent building material, the best, the most versatile building material of all and thanks to this evocative quality, our tall and slender buildings came to life, as do our thoughts which fly high in the sky.

Thus, this rigid ceramic tile becomes a new material, rich in suggestions and hints, which take us by the hand into a new era, where ceramic cladding is not simply a mere covering skin but a marvellous material which, sprung from earth, brings all of us, contemporary man, back to the Earth.

Exactly a week to go before the opening of the Fuorisalone exhibition, or more specifically, before the press preview where we will reveal the set design for “From earth to the Earth”, in the courtyard opposite the Triennale, created by Michele de Lucchi exclusively for Ceramiche Refin. During this preview, scheduled to start at 10.30, architect de Lucchi in person will explain his work and the key-concept driving his creativity, that is to say, the intimate and enduring tie between nature and ceramics.

During the Fourisalone exhibition there will be plenty of time set aside on this theme within our set design. On Refin’s web-site, you can see the landing page showing the detailed schedule of events and the registration form, while, in the next day or two our blog will provide further details and teasers of the event.

One of main attractions of last year’s Fuorisalone surely was “Kasa Digitalia”, the setting designed by Karim Rahid (a favourite of DTS) for Abet Laminati at the Triennale. An explosion of unusual shapes and colours, in keeping with the style of the Egypitian-American designer, who, without a doubt, is one of the most major trend-setters in modern-day aesthetics in the world. We have taken a look at some of the photos taken during our visit, and have the following thoughts.

This work was designed to have a completely laminated surface, traditionally a more economical solution to a lacquered or ceramic finish, but that thanks to its characteristics of light and un-broken surfaces, can result in very aesthetically pleasing and out of the ordinary finishes. Even for those artists who do work with other materials, the challenge set down by Rashid does not pass un-noticed: in fact, often we are part of “irreverent games” which have the aesthetic finish of a ceramic tile, such as joints and reflections.

One innovative point to remember, therefore, which is, at the same time, urging us to understand the real “quid” of ceramics, that is to say, its elevated and, in certain aspects, its unparalleled complex touch and shine.

Krizia was the guest on the last day of Trascreativity at the Triennale in Milan. The fashion designer told us about the different aspects influencing her style, relating some anecdotes about her career and not holding anything back when she was asked to express her idea on hot design topics.

In this video, Krizia comments on her ceramic prototype created for DesignTaleStudio: a composition of six 60×120 cm ceramic slabs depicting a huge panther and a leopard.

During his appearance at Design On Stage Trascreativity, Alessandro Mendini dedicated much of his discussion to the creativity and innovation of languages. In particular, in this section of the speech, he is talking about transgression, the “fil rouge” of the Trascreativity event, noticing that, to be interesting, a project must “create a nuisance” somehow.

We start publishing the videos of the Trascreativity event with an extract from the first day, in which Elio Fiorucci answers a question posed by the audience, on the risk of homologation associated with department stores selling designer furniture. Fiorucci believes that the Ikea-model must be seen in a positive way because it increases choice and also makes style affordable for the less wealthy.

Footnote: have you noticed anything new? This is the first video published on the brand-new channel YouTube for DesignTaleStudio. We will use this as the archive for all our videos, make a note of the direct address: 
 http://www.youtube.com/designtalestudio.

The meeting with Krizia (Mariuccia Mandelli) was scheduled on Sunday April 20, the last day of the event. The famous Italian fashion designer had an informal chat with Laura Villani on various themes such as style, architecture and interior design, reminiscing on many anecdotes of her life, which has always been “unconventional”.

While you wait for our offering of the chat, you can enjoy the meeting on Ultrafragola.

The Saturday guest at Design On Stage Trascreativity was the architect Mario Bellini, who designed a peculiar vertical system for DesignTaleStudio: six ceramic slabs of 60×120 cm with a black and matt backdrop on which the signature “by M. Bellini”, is reproduced, with a small body-font and smooth finish, following a random pattern. Looking at the composition as a whole, you can note that the frequency of the signatures increases towards the bottom, thus creating a sort of gravitational light effect. Here is the designer photographed in front of his project.

The meeting with Bellini coincided with the party for Ultrafragola web TV and included other important guests: the showman Andrea Pezzi, the journalist Roberto D’Agostino and, last minute surprise, the designer Fabio Novembre. The result was a discussion, sometimes frivolous, sometimes irreverent, on various “hot” topics such as the democratization of design, women and creativity and the role of the city of Milan. Here are some photos of the meeting, of the audience and of backstage (which also saw the presence of Elio Fiorucci and Laura Villani).

See you later this afternoon for the last meeting with Krizia.

It is raining cats and dogs in Milan, it is cold and our stand opposite the Triennale is bearing the brunt. But the public are still turning out in droves, not put off by the rain and even if the weather is not perfect, we note a great interest in DesignTaleStudio and in the works displayed.

During the morning, we had the pleasure of hosting Yamaha for the official presentation of the eleventh Yamaha Fest, scheduled for this summer in Cattolica, which will also see a retrospective exhibition on Elio Fiorucci, entitled “Love makes life magic” organized by Laura Villani. Fiorucci and Villani opened the press conference, then they handed the microphone over to Yamaha senior managers and representatives from the public authorities.

The rain and the traffic made the meeting with Karim Rashid - scheduled for the afternoon -impossible. He was stuck in tailbacks for more than one hour and, after numerous phone calls, at 7.30 pm, we gave up. This morning the sun is shining, we hope that today’s meeting with Mario Bellini, Roberto D’Agostino and Andrea Pezzi will be held in better weather conditions.

The second day at the Triennale, and the second famous guest. Despite the miserable weather, a large crowd were present and were enthralled by the conversation between Alessandro Mendini and Laura Villani on design, innovation and transgression. The main focus of the discussion, “the old dressed as new”, which Mendini affirmed he had seen often during his walk around this year’s Fuorisalone. For more details, and in anticipation of our videos of the event being put on line next week, take a look at the news item by Ultrafragola.

The porcelain stoneware slab designed by Mendini for DesignTaleStudio can be duly listed among his own research on colour, and, in light of this, he spoke about his recent collaboration with Peter Halley, who worked on a project with DesignTaleStudio last year.

The second guest expected today was Vivienne Westwood, but, unfortunately, she was unable to attend due to an unexpected appointment. But, in keeping with the finest traditions of Design On Stage, we had an ace up our sleeves: Elio Fiorucci, who came to visit us and was happy to stop and volunteer and “paint a picture” of the English fashion icon, including a few anecdotes on their friendship and professional relationship, which has been characterised by numerous collaborations in the past.

Here is the Westwood project for DesignTaleStudio:a composition of six 60×120 cm ceramic slabs, with silk-screen printed designs portraying a contrast between classic lines and punk graffiti.