Dark Ages – 5Vie Fuorisalone ’17

The “Dark Ages” project results from the recent discovery of the Grotta della Lucerna and the establishment of the Parco della Vena del Gesso Romagnolo. The rediscovered material, a transparent gypsum called lapis specularis, was used in the Roman era for windows and greenhouses, only to be forgotten or even confused with its more recent substitute, glass.

Thanks to Davide G. Aquini’s careful research, a collection of self-produced objects that reuse this ancient material can now be introduced to the guests of Milan’s 5Vie fuorisalone, outside the usual commercial intent. The collection “Dark Ages” aims to provide food for thought on our shared tradition.

The design is a balance between the regular shapes of antiquity and a “barbaric” finish, some sort of temporal path looking for an aesthetic dialogue between distant historical periods, where the focus is rediscovering an archaic material.

Dark ages, however, are also a good opportunity for a crossbreeding of cultures and styles, and a platform for the discovery of common roots.