There is an undeniable beauty in marble and other fine stone, whether you’re regarding a simple but splendid slab or an exquisite, intricate sculpture. This past fall, more than 1,500 companies from 54 countries convened once more in Verona, Italy, to celebrate that natural beauty and all its applications at Marmomac, the premier annual international trade show dedicated to stone and the industry’s latest innovations, trends, and architectural applications.
For four days at the end of September, a community of high-profile distributors, contractors, buyers, architects, and designers gathered to contemplate the future of this age-old material. “Marmomac is a true international business hub,” says Federico Bricolo, president of Veronafiere, the 350,000-square-meter exhibition space where the event took place. “It’s where relationships are developed to guide the present and future of the natural-stone market.” Here’s our look at what took place at Marmomac this year, including top trends for 2024; cutting-edge innovations; rock-star designers, architects, and brands that exhibited; and the winner of our Matter of Stone award.
The intersection of art, technology, and natural stone held the spotlight in the Plus Theater in Hall 10, which served as the venue for workshops and talks that explored the relationship between stone, machines, design, and art. Throughout the event, the Applaud installation was a focal point: Visitors could watch as a robot carved a block of Cammeo Imperiale into Fragment, a sculpture of two crossed fingers designed by artist Andreas Seroner. Also in Hall 10, artist Raffaello Galiotto curated the Herbarium Mirabile, a collection of 17 plant-like sculptures machine-carved from marbles of various colors from around the world.
https://www.elledecor.com/design-decorate/a45822716/a-spotlight-on-natural-stone-at-marmomac-2023/