Ceramic Light

Introduction

This book is an exploration of light, form, shadow and colour with the subject being two structures designed by Kengo Kuma and Daniel Libeskind in Casalgrande near Reggio Emilia.

As well as the more straightforward shots, I have used the form of the structures to let my imagination run wild and create photographs that are often complete abstractions suggested by the architecture and the play of light on the structures .

The Ceramic Cloud

Casalgrande Ceramic Cloud, designed by Kengo Kuma was completed in September 2010. The structure is located in the centre of a roundabout in Casalgrande near Reggio Emilia.

The structure is 45 meters long, 12 meters tall and has a maximum width of 1.7 meters in the central section. It is made of nine rows of porcelain stoneware slabs that each measure 60cm x 120cm and which are stacked and held in place by thin threaded bars. Ceramic tiles are used as structural components.

Like a thin curtain, the Ceramic Cloud divides the space of the roundabout in half. The orientation of the structure is aligned with the road, making it almost disappear as viewers approach it from either end of the roundabout. The actual size of the line that divides the roundabout becomes apparent as one moves around the site.

The installation is by no means visually static. There is an ever-changing play of light, water and material in this minimal and poetic installation.

Ceramic Crown

Spiralling upwards towards the sky, this multi-faceted structure designed by Daniel Libeskind called the Ceramic Crown sits on a roundabout in Casalgrande near Reggio Emilia. It was inaugurated in October 2015.

The structure is based on a sleek and slender structural steel skeleton, entirely cladded with special porcelain stoneware tiles featuring a fractal pattern in relief. The Structure twists and turns to a height of 25 meters.

The structure is a pure compositional expression that emphasizes a twisting vertical thrust, demonstrating how a material like porcelain stoneware tiles can be applied in the most unexpected contexts.

There is a fascinating play of shape, light, shadow and reflection of the surroundings as one moves around this structure with its jagged edges, sharp angles and tortured geometry.