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Slat It Again
Maranzana
Developed Unique Design Style Using Simple Repetition
by Deanna Murshed
Clean, organic repetition seems to be the best characterization of the
art and design of Riccardo Maranzana, which is currently on display at
the Italian Cultural Institute. The exhibit features several of
Maranzana’s furniture designs as well as some freestanding wall art.
Several of the furniture pieces on display—an assortment of chairs,
tables, and even a bed frame—show off Maranzana’s signature “slat”
style. The designs are formulated by repeating patterns of identical
wood elements, sustained by aluminum and held apart by transparent
spacers. In a sense, the resulting wooden composite is reminiscent of
vertebrae bound together in a spinal formation. The individual elements
are simple, but the beauty lies in the repetitious and functional sum
of the parts.
Maranzana has created a unique style through the consistent use of
three basic materials: birch plywood, stainless steel, and clear
acrylic. He favors the wood and steel for their purity and the acrylic
for its transparency. This consolidation was developed almost 10 years
ago during Maranzana’s graduate studies at SCI Arc (Southern California
Institute of Architecture).
The interplay among these elements was ultimately responsible for the
development of the prototype for the “Slat Chair,” which appears at the
institute. The chair was first featured at the furniture design exhibit
“Design Watch: Modernesque” held at the Pacific Design Center of Los
Angeles. By the time Maranzana had developed this style, however, he
had already begun pursuing new techniques of working with glue and
wood, which led to a variety of “glueworks” that comprise the other
half of the institute’s exhibit.
Similar to his furniture pieces, Maranzana’s glueworks also exude an
organic feel. However, the material Maranzana manipulates resembles wax
more than actual glue because of the earth-colored tints he adds to the
medium. Couple this with his penchant for repeating patterns, and these
glueworks look like exquisite accidents of nature. Certain pieces, for
instance, appear as variations of honeycomb.
Born to a Swiss mother and Italian father, Maranzana completed most of
his artistic training in the United States, but he never lost touch
with the European influences that are evident in his style. In 1998,
Maranzana returned to Europe to work as an independent architect and
designer with Switzerland’s Studio Rivola and Studio Milesi. Currently,
he collaborates with Gianfranco Tozzini Architettura, based in Turin,
Italy, and continues to create new furniture projects for private
clients as well as for himself.
“Riccardo
Maranzana: Art and Design Exhibit” runs through Sept. 17 at the Italian
Cultural Institute, 2025 M St, NW, Suite 610. For more information,
please call (202) 223-9800 or visit www.italcultusa.org.
Deanna Murshed is a freelance writer in Washington, D.C. |
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