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Marmomac 2024, at Veronafiere, showcases the creative and technological progress of Natural Stone

Marmomac will return to Veronafiere from September 24th to 27th, 2024. The upcoming event is the reference point for the natural stone industry: an edition aimed at consolidating its role as a platform for business, education, and culture for all operators in the Italian techno-stone supply chain, and beyond.

In fact, Marmomac remains a highly international hub, with 66% of visitors in 2023 coming from abroad, representing 138 nations.

With over 1,500 exhibitors present each year, the fair provides a unique showcase for a comprehensive overview of the latest innovations in both stone products and machinery and tools for the processing and care of marbles and granites.

Attending this event means being at the forefront of creative and technological progress, discovering how marble continues to evolve in order to transform its timeless elegance into endless possibilities. That’s why Marmomac represents significant added value even for professionals such as architects and designers who can connect, be inspired, and develop new collaborations at the Verona trade fair.

In the contemporary context, natural stone continues to be a material of great prestige and versatility, capable of adding value to any architectural or design project with its beauty and unique properties. Marmomac plays a crucial role in promoting the innovative use of this material, highlighting its most cutting-edge applications through a series of collateral events, including exhibitions, workshops, and conferences. It is a series of initiatives that have contributed to creating a real Marmomac community that also exists throughout the year, both online through the Marmomac Plus digital brandroom that brings together top players in the industry, and offline with networking missions organized abroad, such as “We speak stone” in Chicago.

The 2024 edition will once again host A Matter of Stone, curated by Elle Decor Italia with a layout designed by the Calvi Brambilla studio. Pavilion 1 will host a selection of Italian and international companies showcasing design productions and applications in a creative and stimulating context intended for architects, interior designers, and industry professionals.

The Plus Theatre, curated in concept by Giorgio Canale, reaffirms itself as the center of experimentation dedicated to natural stone. This year’s theme will be matter, which takes center stage within a true district that develops around a central avenue where exhibitions, meeting areas, and refreshment spaces are located. The individual displays have been designed to highlight the multiple facets of natural stone, offering a comprehensive and in-depth view of the subject matter, showcasing the constant relationship between stone and machinery, and presenting the countless varieties found in nature and the latest technological processes.

Giorgio Canale, in addition to the overall curation of the pavilion, has conceived the exhibition The Walk of Stone, inspired by the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame, but featuring natural stone as the protagonist. This tribute highlights the extraordinary richness of natural materials, emphasizing their chromatic differences, textures, and details. With a 240-square-meter runway, the artwork provides an exclusive showcase for Italian and foreign companies, allowing them to exhibit and enhance one square meter of their best creations. The selection of natural stone, each with its own unique identity and characteristics, represents the true added value of the installation. These materials not only express surprising aesthetic diversity but also offer functionality and innovation. Chosen for their uniqueness and distinctive quality, they are ideal for a wide range of design and architectural projects.

The exhibition Full/Empty, curated by Raffaello Galiotto, involves international designers and companies in the stone industry who, starting from Giorgio Vasari’s quote that “Sculpture is an art that removes the superfluous from matter, reducing it to the form of the body drawn by the craftsman,” will explore the relationship between fullness and emptiness freely through a series of marble works created in the era of new digital tools. The transition from manual work of the past to computer-controlled processes such as abrasive milling or cutting with diamond tools and waterjets now offers new opportunities in terms of precision, technical reproducibility, and waste utilization.

The exhibition Viaggio al centro della tavola, curated by Raffaello Galiotto, gathers a series of unpublished works designed by him. In front of an empty table, we are commonly inclined to place an object in the center. A reassuring gesture, guided by our innate sense of order and balance. From this necessity, over time, the concept of a centerpiece has developed: an object usually of particular value, both decorative and functional. The exhibition therefore presents a colorful and fascinating composition of stone tables, featuring a support surface made from a slab and a centerpiece crafted using the most advanced numerical technologies. An enchanting journey into marble, discovering different colored lithotypes and their specific characteristics, visible both in the form of two-dimensional slabs and in three-dimensional design objects.

After the success of the last edition, The Applaud, curated by Danilo Di Michele, returns. It aims to promote the culture of stone and highlight the extraordinary potential of natural stone. The protagonist of the installation, which will take shape during the days of Marmomac, is Il Fazzoletto, inspired by one of the first works designed by Fulvio Bianconi for Venini. The latter, along with other productive partners in the stone sector, will be involved in creating this important sculpture that will combine the strength and grandeur of marble with the sophistication and delicacy of the iconic glass vase. The process, carried out under the watchful eyes of visitors, will allow full appreciation of the collective work of companies in realizing this extraordinary natural stone creation.

As part of Marmomac meets Academies, Giuseppe Fallacara curates the exhibition Ceci n’est pas un fossile, created thanks to the creativity of students from some Italian and foreign universities and the support of companies in the stone sector. The project focuses on the theme of the stone design of the future, mainly focused on the close relationship between knowledge and know-how, between theory and practice, between craftsmanship and technology. These concepts will take the form of an innovative installation that stages a hypothetical design “workshop” of the future where computational design coexists with digital fabrication and craftsmanship with all the related technical tools. The shape of the “workshop” takes inspiration from fossil shells, contained within sedimentary stone. Divided into functional areas (design, 3D printing, and prototyping), the “workshop”, animated by a daily events program, will indicate a possible perspective towards which to lead the complex world of lithic design.

The ADI Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige Delegation investigates the world of design in the Architectural Modules exhibition. Architecture is constantly changing and evolving from wet construction sites to dry construction systems. Serial products and parametric design are integrated into building and interior projects. Thanks to the collaboration between designers and companies, new three-dimensional construction elements will be developed for facades, walls, and interior spaces, using the technologies of participating companies.

The Pavilion 10 will also host a wine bar and a bistro, designed to ensure that moments of relaxation and refreshment are immersed in two spaces dedicated to celebrating natural stone in its most refined tactile and aesthetic expressions.

The Best Communicator Award, now in its 16th edition, will undoubtedly be present, honoring the companies that can present themselves with the most original and impactful exhibition concept.