A passion for earth as a natural material and for rammed earth, an ancient construction technique.
The combination of these patterns evolves into the concept of Pisé Inserti, more slabs of immense decorative impact, generated by the two-dimensional criss-crossing of exquisite, rounded geometrical forms: the designer combines the natural earthen shades with apparently random curved lines that evoke the uneven trapezia with rounded corners used by Gio Ponti.
These are also available in the large 120x280 cm size and 6 mm thickness in three variants: Pisé Inserti A, Pisé Inserti B and Pisé Inserti C. COMPATTA’s potential is further enhanced by three-dimensional subjects of varying shapes, which can be
built up into mesh-backed mosaics to create sculptural forms on walls. These extensions to the collection are called Inserti Melange, Inserti Sabbia-Argilla and Inserti Limo-Ghiaia and are produced in 9 mm thickness and 30x30 cm size.
NSPIRATIONAL MOTIFS AND INPUTS
The COMPATTA collection, designed by Federico Peri, combines a passion for earth as a natural material and an interest in a very ancient construction technique.
The primary inspiration derives from close observation of the many strata within the ground and the mixtures of elementary particles of which it consists. The design concept is completed by reference to the age-old rammed earth construction technique, used in northern Jordan since the eighth millennium BCE and widely applied in Yemen in many other desert or rural settings until the mid 19thC.
In this method, the raw earth is compacted inside wooden formwork to construct continuous structural walls, bearing walls or partitions inside homes, with a natural decorative effect due to the layering of the different shades of clay used. When creating his project for CEDIT, Peri was also influenced by several design inputs: from rural African homes to the clear, simple geometric forms and curved lines typical of the work of Gio Ponti, the curves central to the modernist gardens of Brazilian landscape artist Roberto Burle Marx, and the three-dimensional mosaics of English sculptor William Mitchell. In his murals in concrete, glass and recycled materials, Mitchell seems to combine some of the typical features of a variety of artistic movements, from Modernism to Brutalism, and also shows awareness of the issues concerning the structure of the landscape and the relationship with nature at the heart of Land Art. COMPATTA thus embodies strong links to the world of art and architecture, while bringing natural impressions with a remote, primitive flavour into modern living-spaces.
