During the International Furniture Fair 2015, on behalf of Azucena, a historic Milanese design brand founded in 1947, The installation entitled “fragments” was presented. The “fragment” theme was represented by a series of crystal plates from
from the building in via Santa Maria alla Porta designed by one of the founders of Azucena: the architect Luigi Caccia Dominioni.

Originally the slabs were placed on the main facade, as witnessed by the archive photo taken by photographer Gabriele Basilico. Over more than fifty-five years exposure to atmospheric agents, oxides and pollutants have generated on the plates random and unexpected marks, giving rise to a silent mutation that has transformed them into contemporary works of art. During the restoration of the beautiful Caccia Dominioni building, safety regulations imposed the replacement with new glass plates.

Inside the Azucena showroom, the project envisaged that the plates would dialogue with large photographs representing snapshots of Italian life and style. The eight imposing and glossy slabs reflected the space and the Azucena furnishings, in particular the “chrome-plated” sofas placed in the center. The exhibition is an interesting point on the theme of the reuse of fragments from contemporary architecture, what to do with it and how to generate dialogue with the design world.