Inspired by the visual and sensorial force of the pure and harmonious forms encapsulating the characteristics of vernacular Mediterranean houses, architect Annarita Aversa designs a limited-edition collection of seating and vases.
Proporzione Mediterranea_Daybed 01, 2021, Annarita Aversa. Studio Architetti Artigiani Anonimi, Courtesy of Galleria Giustini/ Stagetti, Roma
September 22, 2022 (Rome, Italy) – Milan-based architect Annarita Aversa, founder of Architetti Artigiani Anonimi, presents Proporzione Mediterranea, a collection of seating and vases emanating from her vernacular architecture study of Mare Nostrum, specifically the vaulted houses of the Amalfi coast. On view from September 30th – October 29th, 2022, at Giustini / Stagetti gallery in Rome, the collection builds on the architect’s ethos of the single idea of space, light and material by fusing design and architecture. Drawing from the wisdom of “Mediterranean vernacular masterpieces,”[1] the collection is a memento of heritage preservation, continually narrating its intrinsic worth and exemplary value.
Aversa returns to the origins and essence of architecture, to rediscover the intimate link between man and inhabited space. The collection calls upon this truthful synthesis of evoking harmony of human proportions, narrating as it does that architecture is a unique and inimitable product of human needs, desires, dreams and abilities. The rhythm of solids and voids, the soft shaping typical of the Mediterranean culture is further enhanced by the rawness of the materials, such as the colored terracotta and hand-worked wrought iron.
Aversa explains: “Conceiving internal and external space and its furnishings as a total unicum, strongly linked to the context, has always steered my work, particularly in this collection. The purpose of the project is to remind architects of the reasons behind our so very delicate task in an era often littered with disorienting images.“
Inspired by the distinctive houses with vaulted ceilings that line the Amalfi Coast, the limited-edition collection includes a daybed, a sofa, a bench and a selection of vases. As an integral part of the architectural Gesamtkunstwerk, the pieces create a natural play of light and shadow underlining Aversa’s intent to merge the world of architecture and design.
Composed of ceramic and metal, the seating alludes to benches set along the edges of coastal terraces, challenging the boundary between architecture and landscape. Produced in Vietri sul Mare, the epicenter of ceramic art and design on the Amalfi Coast, the modular seating pieces create a delicate balance of technique and form as a natural extension of space.
Designed as “architectural dreams,” the vases are a continuation of harmonious proportions. Their “skin” opens in a perfectly balanced mix of space, light, and water, defining a place from which to observe the world surreptitiously. The design echoes the intimacy of vaulted spaces, highlighting the skillful modeling of the raw materials, lending grace and meaning to every creative decision.
Left Proporzione Mediterranea_Vase III, 2021, Annarita Aversa. Studio Architetti Artigiani Anonimi, Courtesy of Galleria Giustini/ Stagetti, Roma; Right Proporzione Mediterranea_Vase 01, 2021, Annarita Aversa. Studio Architetti Artigiani Anonimi, Courtesy of Galleria Giustini/ Stagetti, Roma
As part of Aversa’s mission to preserve the natural and architectural landscape of the Amalfi Coast, she collaborated with the Centro di Cultura e Storia Amalfitana, in Amalfi on a handbook of drawings, photographs and research illustrating the necessity of heritage preservation. It will be available online and in the Casa del vademecum (“the house of the Vademecum”).
Founded in 2013, Architetti Artigiani Anonimi, based in Milan works on the different scales of architecture, elaborating and synthesizing in each project the complexity of the temporal, architectural and cultural context, and promoting the identity of each place.
Left Vaulted house in the small village of Pastena, Amalfi, Courtesy of Studio Architetti Artigiani Anonimi; Right Drawing of Proporzione Mediterranea_Daybed 01, Courtesy of Studio Architetti Artigiani Anonimi
[1] Bruno Zevi described houses with vaulted ceilings that line the Amalfi Coast as “a vernacular masterpiece worthy of standing alongside Brunelleschi’s dome or Michelangelo’s apse in St Peter’s.”
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NOTES TO EDITORS:
About Annarita Aversa
Annarita Aversa is an Italian architect, educated at the “La Sapienza” University of Rome and the ETSAB University of Barcelona. After having collaborated with some of the most well-regarded architectural studios in Europe - in Holland, Spain, and Milan - she decided to focus on her territory of origin, the Amalfi coast, through participatory planning initiatives such as “Due Punti Architettura” listed by the MAXXI Museum in the “Independent Project”, independent cultural initiatives in Italy.
Founded in 2013, Architetti Artigiani Anonimi, based in Milan, works on projects of different scales, the studio focuses on elaborating and synthesizing in each project the complexity of the temporal, architectural and cultural context, while promoting the identity of each place.
Annarita Aversa is currently carrying out a research project based on the recovery of empathy between man and living space for the “Molino Nuovo” project in Salerno, looking after the architectural design, various architectural projects for private clients and a project for the elaboration of methods for preservation of the architectural and landscape heritage of the Amalfi coast, in collaboration with the Center of Culture and History of Amalfi.
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