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Marco Campardo Bianco e Nero Coffee Chess Table Silicastone Ace Hotel
Bianco e Nero for Ace Hotel (coffee/chess table, detail),
800 x 800 x 430 mm, cast Silicastone, 2018
Marco Campardo Bianco e Nero Coffee Chess Table Silicastone Ace Hotel work in progress
Bianco e Nero for Ace Hotel (chess set),
work in progress, 2018
Bianco e Nero is a chess table moonlighting as a coffee table, designed for Ace Hotel, London
Marco Campardo Bianco e Nero Coffee Chess Table Silicastone Ace Hotel work in progress
Bianco e Nero for Ace Hotel (coffee/chess table), work in progress, 2018
It was commissioned by Modern Design Review as part of the Ready Made Go series
Marco Campardo Bianco e Nero Coffee Chess Table Silicastone Ace Hotel work in progress
Bianco e Nero for Ace Hotel (coffee/chess table), work in progress, 2018
Marco Campardo Bianco e Nero Coffee Chess Table Silicastone Ace Hotel work in progress
Bianco e Nero for Ace Hotel (chess set), work in progress, 2018
The table is made from Silicastone, a material engineered from waste by Alusid
Marco Campardo Bianco e Nero Coffee Chess Table Silicastone Ace Hotel work in progress
Bianco e Nero for Ace Hotel (coffee/chess table), work in progress, 2018
Marco Campardo Bianco e Nero Coffee Chess Table Silicastone Ace Hotel work in progress
Bianco e Nero for Ace Hotel
(coffee/chess table),
work in progress, 2018
The slabs of Silicastone were custom-made for Bianco e Nero in order to create a unique piece
Marco Campardo Bianco e Nero Coffee Chess Table Silicastone Ace Hotel work in progress
Bianco e Nero for Ace Hotel
(coffee/chess table),
work in progress, 2018
Marco Campardo Bianco e Nero Coffee Chess Table Silicastone Ace Hotel work in progress
Bianco e Nero for Ace Hotel (coffee/chess table), work in progress, 2018
A gradient was composed by hand in Silica using 15 shades of grey in a suggestion of movement
Marco Campardo Bianco e Nero Coffee Chess Table Silicastone Ace Hotel work in progress
Bianco e Nero for Ace Hotel (coffee table),
work in progress, 2018
Marco Campardo Bianco e Nero Coffee Chess Table Silicastone Ace Hotel
Bianco e Nero for Ace Hotel (chess set, detail), various dimensions, cast Silicastone, 2018
A full set of chess pieces was also made by casting and cutting different pieces of Silicastone
Marco Campardo Bianco e Nero Coffee Chess Table Silicastone Ace Hotel
Bianco e Nero for Ace Hotel
(chess set, detail), various dimensions,
cast Silicastone, 2018
Marco Campardo Bianco e Nero Coffee Chess Table Silicastone Ace Hotel
Bianco e Nero for Ace Hotel (coffee/chess table),
800 x 800 x 430 mm, cast Silicastone, 2018
The table is easily dismantled thanks to the holes that allow the legs to be connected with the table top
Bianco e Nero
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Bianco e Nero for Ace Hotel, 2018

Alusid Silicastone
Unique piece

Made in occasion of the exhibition Ready Made Go 4
Curated by Modern Design Review

Bianco e Nero is a games table for chess and draughts made for the Ace Hotel in London, inviting guests to come and play. The table that calls attention to its function with a monolithic form and large sculptural pieces. But when not being played upon, the table easily functions as a regular piece of furniture.
The table is a reinterpretation of the traditional black and white checkered games board. Inspired by the rich texture of Venetian terrazzo,  Bianco e Nero is cast from a unique gradient, Silicastone, made by Alusid. The material is made from 100% recycled glass and porcelain and is baked from stone-like slabs of material. The gradient shifts from white to black, indicating the direction that the pieces need to flow to defeat the opponent.
TTThe squares of the checkered chessboard are minimal, marked out by holes drilled into the surface of the table, therefore allowing the table to successfully blend with its surroundings. To match the table, a chess and draughts set was also produced from Alusid’s Silicastone, with each form determined by the inclination of the diamond blade cutting the slabs. The pieces are purposefully XL and add to the gravitas of the experience of playing at the table. Lastly, although Bianco e Nero is designed to feel monolithic, it can be easily taken apart and moved due to a simple system of connections.

©2023
Marco Campardo Studio
©2023
Marco Campardo Studio
 
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Shaping materials .into domestic objects

Marco Campardo is a London-based designer focusing on production, research and teaching. He has a particular interest in making and material experimentation as a form of critical practice, using it to explore wider narratives about culture, materiality, identity and authenticity.
MMMarco’s work starts with hands-on experimentation and research to question the nature of contemporary models of production. With a keen interest in materiality, his research seeks to subvert or adapt industrial manufacturing processes to propose an alternative to standardised, mass production. The final result of this process is aesthetically and conceptually refined objects, whose final form is determined by the very process of making. Playing with high-end and lo-fi methods and materials, Marco’s projects can be seen as a commentary on the value of making and craftsmanship. Prior to starting his own practice in 2019, Marco’s approach to design was shaped through a decade-long work with M–L–XL and Tankboys, two multidisciplinary studios he co-founded in Venice, Italy.

Marco works with private and public clients, including Axel Arigato, COSSelfridges, Wandler and Vero International, designing objects, exhibition design and site-specific installations. Among public commissions are Macro Museum in Rome, Centro Pecci in Prato, Tate Modern and various national pavilions at Venice Art and Architecture Biennale. His objects are also part of a number of private collections in Europe, including the Maurer Design Collection, and his work has been exhibited at the London Design Festival, Milan Design Week, London Design Biennale and Milan Triennial.

Keen on using exhibitions as a form of research, Marco co-curated exhibitions such as Masters of Disguise for Seeds London, 2019 and The Breakfast Pavilion during the Venice Art Biennale, 2018.
HHis projects have been documented across different design publications, including Wallpaper MagazineArchitectural DigestDomus magazineNew York TimesSight Unseen, Design Milk, Dezeen, Living Corriere, Surface Magazine and the Financial Times. His project Elle received the Wallpaper* Design Award 2020 for Best Paint Job. He received the Ralph Saltzman Prize 2023 by the Design Museum

Marco Campardo Studio
90 Haymerle Road (Studio 14G)
SE156SB Peckham – London
United Kingdom

For studio enquiries, commissions, press or internships please write to studio@marcocampardo.com

Social Network: Instagram

Web developer: Andrea Serrani
Typeface: Alpha Regular by Omnitype

 

©2023
Marco Campardo Studio