What is the scagliola making process?
Once you mix them together, the plaster, pigments and glue harden and become a sort of dough with veins. The dough is sliced and its pieces are put together to obtain the desired object, which is then sanded and grouted in several stages and eventually polished to a high sheen.
Is your technique different from the traditional one?
I work with moulds, which is something that scagliola artists don’t normally do. And I use non-conventional colours like bright pink and blue and acid yellow. Even if the result is similar to marble, it’s not a slavish imitation: it's something new and contemporary.
© Monstera Lab
What makes your craft special?
The striking contrast between the marble-looking material and its colour, which has nothing to do with marble. This arouses curiosity and interest. Moreover, scagliola has mainly been employed in architecture, while I use it for design objects of everyday use, like table mirrors and chandeliers.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
From fashion, design and social media. My prismatic table mirror, for example, comes from the small knob on top of moka pots. That’s why I called it Alfonso, after Alfonso Bialetti. Geometry is pivotal: recently I’ve been focusing on edges, which are very stimulating, next will be curves.