Abitare la Terra - Dwelling on Earth

Clay is the result of the crushing and decomposition of feldspathic rocks, over millions of years, into very small particles. Used to make building artefacts, by its nature it has two chromatic values, the original one “raw” which it possesses at the time of withdrawal from the quarry and varies in relation to the mineralogical composition, and the “cooked” derived, after the preparation of the dough from the kind of baking in the oven. The clay, considered a poor material in the past, has achieved ever greater value over time to become a highly sought-after precious material on the market. The products obtained from the clay can be distinguished by the high number of dimensional variations, attributable to the sites and to the historical period of production. In particular, they have acquired value when they were decorated, engraved and shaped to obtain special architectural pieces such as elements for rosettes, window arches, foliage, curved parts, etc. They have also acquired a strong character of identity in some applications such as when, in the form of tiles of different shapes and sizes, they have been variously glazed with chromatic tones and used to cover the domes. The majolica, wisely and elegantly arranged, gave rise to magnificent warps, embellishing in an original way artefacts such as domes arranged to cover monumental buildings. The technique of installation, which involves the laying of the scales so as to cover the dome, occurs through the juxtaposition of the individual majolica starting from the bottom, creating staggered and concentric courses whose diameter decreases from the base to the ridge. To enhance the chromatic composition of the domes, the colours are combined, according to the decorative tradition, in order to create patterns cleverly replicated and extended to the whole surface.