EDIT Napoli 2021 – Photos by ©Serena Eller, unless stated otherwise.

Design – Over 80 international exhibitors, including independent designers, brands and manufacturers, flew to Naples for Edit Napoli 2021. The international fair took over the spaces of iconic historic locations in the heart of the city, such as Teatro San Carlo and the Royal Factory of Capodimonte.

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“In this edition, the relationship with the city and the symbolic places of its history is consolidated by connecting them to important international institutions and realities of the design and project culture.” Says the fair’s director Emilia Petruccelli. “Many collaborations have been formed with international brands and designers. A growing number of young designers that animated the  Seminario section, dedicated to emerging talents.”  Adds curator Domitilla Dardi.

Re-imagining Sicily during the lockdown

Milan-based Elena Salmistraro could only rely on Google Earth to see her beloved home-Sicilian island Pantelleria during the lockdown. Cliffs, black volcanic rocks, dry stone walls, vineyards and windy marine horizons. From here, she teamed up with Lithea to create a table, stools and vases harnessing local marble and volcanic stone landscape to create patterns with a distinctly feminine touch.

Lava alphabet

Photo by 950 – Ninefifty.

“I believe in the aesthetic of imperfection that comes from the dialogue between design and craftsmanship” is Margherita Rui’s mantra. For 950 – Ninefifty, she created Alfabeto, a collection of tile handmade from terracotta and lava stone. Nineteen decorations compose a staff of lines that combine and transform the surfaces into graphic compositions. “I wanted to create the rhythm of the shapes and colours of the ceramics of Caltagirone – Sicily -, but by abstracting the shapes from figurative to symbolic, they have become signs of an alphabet with which to write stories,” says Rui.  

Quirky vernacular vessels

Diego Cibelli presents the Feed me with domestic stuff, a tongue-in-cheek porcelain collection of hand-crafted statuary sculptures that reinterpret everyday rituals “suggesting substantial alternatives in the way of thinking and behaving.” The collection comprises hand-crafted toothbrushes, makeup and pencils holders blurring the lines between art and design, “two different territories dived in a relationship of constant contamination.”

A tribute to Amedeo Modigliani

Atelier Macramé presented Autoportrait / les plateaux de Montparnasse, a bespoke collection paying tribute to Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani. “Your duty is to preserve your dreams,” the Italian artist used to say; from here, the Leghorn-based studio created a series of hand-decorated ceramic objects reinterpreting Modigliani values. The collection comprises a mirror, a vase and homeware pieces.

Modular foam design seating structures

Milan-based Studio Finemateria presents the Cutted Clouds upholstered sofa. Three layers of polyurethane foam with different densities and lift become structure, performance and comfort. The design “highlights a research path on polyurethane foam with the aim of merging shape, structure and technology in a single-material product.” The production is made only by a horizontal cutting technique. The elements are not permanently fixed and thanks to a lining system, they can be easily be separated, changed and recycled.

Playful rationalism

Inspired by ‘80s iconic design movements, the Tagadà Collection by Stamuli comprises a chair, two tables, a mirror, a coat hanger and a rug, all with a Sottsass-like abstract and poetic vibe. “The collection is the outcome of our studio’s DNA: a matrix of rationalism and playfulness, minimalism and irony. Shapes, proportions and colours come together in an iconic design piece.”

Concrete furniture both minimalist and timeless

Formacemento presents a collection of concrete furniture, accessories, floor and wall coatings “We wanted to celebrate the infinite possibilities of our material which takes shape through design and craftsmanship.” The Fusto collection by Studio Irvine comes with a column that holds tables, consoles, bookcases and pedestals, creating a timeless geometry enriched with facets that make the colours vibrate in a game of lights and shadows. The Euclide collection by Gabriele De Chirico and Ernesto Messineo comprises minimalist chairs, a table, a coffee table and home accessories.

Celebrating new ‘oil rituals’ through design

Through the creation of original and exclusive objects, Eleit.it explores the exaltation of protected raw materials and typical traditional products, PGIs and PDOs ingredients and traditional recipes, giving life to new taste experiences. Their Famiglia Oliva collection suggests new rituals, generates curiosity and speaks of hospitality and well-being, celebrating an icon of Mediterranean culture: olive oil.

• Photos by Serena Eller – Courtesy of Edit Napoli 2021.