Andrea Trimarchi, a native Sicilian, grew up with Mount Etna as a
backdrop. For years, he saw the volcano as a representation of the
untameable force of nature – that is, until he and partner Simone Far-
resin decided to harvest the ash and basalt rocks it abundantly leaves
behind and turn them into a useful architectural material. ‘Mount Etna
is a mine without miners,’ explains Trimarchi. ‘It is excavating itself to
expose its raw materials.’ After three years of experimentation along-
side UK-based manufacturer Dzek, Formafantasma has come up with
ExCinere, a collection of volcanic ash-glazed porcelain tiles suitable
for indoor and outdoor use. For once, in the battle between man and
volcano, it seems the former has won.
formafantasma.com
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