INCALMI – PREVIEW EDIT NAPOLI 2024

Images courtesy of Incalmi

Caterina Roppo & Federica Biasi

Incalmi will take part in EDIT Napoli, the fair dedicated to editorial and artistic design to be held October 11 to 13 in Naples, with designs on display at two venues.

The first with be at the Archivio di Stato with Koya, a work designed by Federica Biasi. For the second, Incalmi will be one of the protagonists of the EDIT CULT program with the exhibition Galateo Ancestrale by the artist Caterina Roppo, in the evocative setting of the Church of Santa Maria delle Anime del Purgatorio.

After the last two editions, with projects presented by the Zanellato/ Bortotto and Debonamedeo studios, Incalmi has once again chosen EDIT Napoli to present its experimental work to the public.

Incalmi combines research, design, and development of bespoke products and products for architects and important brands with personal explorations in collaboration with noteworthy design-world figures.

Presented by Zipblind

“The collaborations with designers and artists spring from the curiosity and desire to experiment that has always been a calling for Incalmi – says Patrizia Mian, the brand’s CEO – Every year we ask a designer to propose a project, a challenge that requires a creative and productive effort on our part, which leads us to discover new processes, forms, techniques and materials. We aim to promote a responsive awareness of Italian know-how and manufacturing, engaging pacesetters in the field of artisanship through design.”

Galateo Ancestrale by Caterina Roppo
EDIT CULT, Church ofSanta Maria delle Anime del Purgatorio, Via dei Tribunali, 39, Naples

Galateo Ancestrale is an experimental project by Incalmi and Caterina Roppo, a dialogue through textiles inspired by the theme of breathing, presented in the Church of Santa Maria delle Anime del Purgatorio in Naples, as part of the 2024 program for EDIT CULT, conceived to generate dialogue between the fair and the city’s historic art treasures.

The works, inspired by the free, unhindered gesture of breathing, represent the latest evolution of an in-depth study of textiles the artist developed step by step, making use of Incalmi’s expertise. A three-dimensional exploration in which the dynamics and movement of breathing are captured in the weave of the fabric, thanks to the use of metal. A moment in time is galvanized and solidified in sinuous forms that seem to move continuously through space.

“My creative approach oscillates between the virtual and three-dimensional reality. I have involved Incalmi in a textile dialogue on forms of breathing, constructing a new sort of mannerism that celebrates error as a symbol of natural rebirth, – says Caterina Roppo. In this context, breathing becomes a way of meditating on the essence of being and the fleetingness of time, transforming every moment into an opportunity for regeneration and introspection.”

Koya by Federica Biasi
EDIT Napoli, Chiostri del Platano, Archivio di Stato, Via S Severino, 18, Naples

Koya is an Incalmi project conceived by Federica Biasi and presented at Edit Napoli 2024. The project springs from experimentation with natural fibers and weaves that the designer and the company have been carrying forward in parallel for some years.

Experimentation with form and esthetics, but above all with technique, exploring various types of weaving and natural fibers around the world: from the most common ones used in Italian tradition, like chestnut, hazelnut, willow, and wicker, to exotic bamboo and rattan.

Working with rattan and the many ways of crafting it led to the creation of a handsomely proportioned coffee table distinguished by a combination of various weaving techniques from around the world, from Asian methods to local ones inherited from the Barbisano school of the Veneto region.

These forms are enhanced by extensive research on fiber coloring with natural pigments and painting techniques that capitalize on the intrinsic characteristics of the material. The result is a multi-material glass-and-rattan object that evokes curves and lightness, blending contemporary taste and stylistic elements with traditions from different cultures.

“In an era when everything is hurried, taking the time to discover, travel, research, and explore is a truly precious thing. Only research can lead to the birth of something new, and only in travel can we see things that seem familiar to us with different eyes– says designer Federica Biasi – Koya is the story of one culture meeting another – it’s a project about discovering and rediscovery.”

The name refers to a trip the designer took in Japan, in particular to Mount Koya, where artisans in small workshops meticulously create lovely objects of rattan, a material originally from Borneo, between Indonesia and Malaysia.

The staging at EDIT Napoli aims to not just transmit to viewers the beauty of the object, but also to convey the process that led to its production, from analysis of the plant’s botanical characteristics to the long phase of trial efforts and prototype creation.