Spirulina

When De Castelli launched the Ornamentum project, they chose to intertwine chemistry, mechanics, and art history to offer a contemporary and authorial reinterpretation of engraving techniques. A return to the essence of ornamentation, rooted in the slow rhythm of handcraft and the creative input of thirty designers invited to experiment with erosion techniques.

This particular method—highly versatile—acts on metal surfaces in an irregular and unrepeatable way, allowing imperfections to emerge and survive the process. It is precisely in this unpredictability that its allure lies: each intervention becomes irreproducible, unique, and deeply expressive.

For my project, I wanted to explore the contrast between two seemingly distant worlds: the ephemeral lightness of organic forms and the primordial strength of metal. I took inspiration from spirulina, a microalga with soft and ever-shifting shapes, translating it into an abstract gesture capable of evoking its essence without relying on figurative representation.

My aim was to convey the idea of spontaneous, almost vegetal movement expanding across the metal surface. The material, shaped and consumed by the erosive process, is altered—but it is precisely through this transformation that it gains a new expressive force. The resulting mark is not mere decoration, but rather narrative, painterly gesture—a living trace of the process itself.

In this way, I sought to give the work an almost pictorial dimension, where time, matter, and human touch converge in a single, visual story.