At Milan’s 2010 Salone del Mobile, for the “Interni Think Tank” exhibition, Kengo Kuma made “CCCWall”, a set up inspired by the master’s first Italian work “Casalgrande Ceramic Cloud”.
During the launch conference of the work, which took place on April 14th, 2010 in the Grand Hall of the University of Milan, the Japanese architect ideally involved the entire Italian academic world, in the persons of Francesco dal Co – professor at the University of Venice and director of the “Casabella” magazine –, Alfonso Acocella – professor at the University of Ferrara – and Luigi Alini – professor at the University of Siracusa –, who took the floor to pay homage to the Japanese master, his art and the precious cross-inspiration between the latter and the Italian land and culture.
It was also thanks to the other undisputed protagonist of the event, the ceramic manufacturer Casalgrande Padana, that Kengo Kuma could for the first time bring his creative flare to Italy, measuring himself with a fully “made-in-Italy” environment and material.
«Creating a monument with an eye on ceramics» is what Casalgrande asked Kengo Kuma, as Franco Manfredini, President of the Company, said in the opening speech.
The words of Alfonso Acocella ideally sealed the agreement since he explained how, a company such as Casalgrande, a full-fledged protagonist in today’s increasingly crossbred and ever-evolving globalized markets, cannot do without experimentation, research, comparison and communication with the outer world. In vesting in the relation with the University of Ferrara, in this specific case, produced a bustling collaboration between the very Company and architect Kuma.
It almost looks as though spiritual benevolence and intellectual honesty have crossed their paths to lay the ground to our own excellence and give a reason for pride to the brand in the international market.

From the far-away land of the rising sun to the thriving province of Emilia Romagna: Kengo Kuma involves the crowd by guiding them through an insightful path among his architectural world. The images projected on the screen behind the master’s back help him take the audience through the birth and development of his work of art, his projects and works in Japan and America all the way to Europe and the Italian work-in-progress: the “Casalgrande Ceramic Cloud”, or “CCCWall”. The landmark will fit into its location – right in front of the company plant of Casalgrande, in the province of Reggio Emilia – as a sculpture, a monument but also as a structural element to play a featuring role in the landscape; the ceramic “wall” as it is proven by the projected images, is already underway: the end of the building phase is scheduled for the upcoming autumn.
As the architect explains the devising and making of the work, his stare communicates exhaustion somehow blended with satisfaction, while at the same it resonates with great passion: the enterprise was not easy to accomplish, hence stimulating and challenging; to use ceramics, a full, heavy and tangible material, to convey diaphanous, almost transparent lightness, which in the words of the artist, is right what the monument stands for.

It is right to substantiate this apparent oxymoron that Kengo Kuma made the namesake installation “CCCWall - Interni Think Tank”, exhibited during the Salone del Mobile at Chiostro dei Bagni of Milan’s University.
The principle is the same as the Emilia landmark, says Kuma; only here the “wall” is replaced by a thin organza canvas, floating beautifully with every gust of wind in the open-air cloister, with a free and fleeting effect and feeling.
A sort of “cloud feeling”, as it is defined by the artist himself.
Looking at the work of art, from the very moment we see it standing before us, the effect is dramatic: one is overwhelmed by a sort of “Icarus syndrome” and is drawn to spread the arms, take a deep breath, hover and fly and see what happens.
Yin and Yang are below us, just like good and evil, light and darkness. The artist expresses the dichotomy through ceramics – needless to say, Casalgrande Padana – that the artist used for the flooring and that the organza band fences up in two areas. Two opposites whose boundaries are not well drawn, on the contrary, they fade into each other continuously: the canvas lightly floats, moves and changes its shape. Lighting and the videos that light the work in the evening – thanks to the video work carried out by Studio Visuale and the lighting design by Viabizzuno – create yet another forms and countless effects.
Thus Kuma’s work sublimates an extremely tangible material with a very aerial touch, almost magic and celestial, turning it into the bearer of a universal and salvation message, almost standing as the protector of our soul, beyond and above our ideas.

After the conference the Japanese master attended the prize-giving ceremony of the 2007-2009 Grand Prix and the official launch of the 2010-2012 Grand Prix, the ninth edition of the International architecture award promoted since 1990 by Casalgrande Padana and aimed at selecting the best architecture and internal decoration works made all over the world with Casalgrande Padana products.

The evening closed with a sophisticated buffet in the marvellous setting of the Chiostro dei Bagni cloister. The pleasant taste allowed to finally collect and sublimate the thoughts, stimuli and ideas produced in everyone by the extraordinary sensorial and intellectual experience of “CCCWall”. As far as I am concerned, I had my full share of poetry.

Nicoletta Gemignani

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