Objects of Common Interest make light of marble in Milan showcase

Soft. Floating. Light. Fluid. Breathing. These words are not often used to describe marble. Instead, the history-steeped material, long immortalised in ancient temples and monuments, typically evokes a sense of weight and solidity, classicism and permanence.

Objects of Common Interest (OoCI), the Greek design unit based in Athens and New York, has deftly deconstructed conventional notions of all things marble in a new exhibition ‘Soft Horizons’, unfolding in the new Pasino Glasshouses as part of collective design showcase Alcova, during Milan Design Week 2025.

A dialogue between material, motion and memory gently unfolds through a series of marble installations, aiming to shift perceptions of this elemental Greek material via ethereal expressions of duality – in colour and form, weightlessness and light.

For ‘Soft Horizons’, fragments of Greek marble offcuts have been reshaped and resassembled into totem pole-like displays – some hovering, some spinning above reflective water surfaces in the sun-filtering greenery of the glasshouse. Rising above it all is a sun-like disk – a speaker crafted by Oda – adding an auditory layer to the sensory spatial softness.

'We wanted to counter marble’s typical associations with weight and monumentality,' Eleni Petaloti and Leonidas Trampoukis, creators of OoCI, tell Wallpaper*. 'Fragments of Greek marble appear to float, shift, and breathe, almost imperceptibly, responding to subtle cues in the environment.'

'By placing them within a greenhouse filled with light, movement, sound and water, we reframed the material as something alive and in motion. Transparency here isn’t just visual – it’s emotional and perceptual, inviting visitors to see marble in an entirely new light.'

The marble was sourced from quarries across Greece, with nature, time and history written into their distinct tones, shades and textures. There is Pentelikon marble from Mount Penteli, used in the Parthenon and still quarried today in Dionysos, with a 'fine grain and soft golden hue'; the crystaline white purity of marble from Thassos island; and Volakas marble from northern Greece, defined by a creamy white base and delicate grey watercolour-like veining.

Each marble carries its own geological story and visual temperament, adding layers of meaning to the installation,' adds OoCI. 'Marble is deeply rooted in the earth. Its natural veining is formed over time through the layering and compression of various mineral sediments, making each piece entirely unique, a visual record of geological time and transformation.'

'At the same time, marble carries an ethereal quality. Despite its weight and solidity, there’s a lightness in how it reflects light and in the softness of its texture. This duality is something we aim to express through our design, allowing people to experience both its groundedness and its almost spiritual presence.'

For the Greek design duo, based in Athens and New York, layered into the marble’s distinct colours and time-travelled textures is the innately familiar. 'Marble is embedded in our collective memory,' they explain. 'Growing up in Greece, you absorb its presence – not just in monumental architecture, but in everyday surfaces and objects.

'It represents both permanence and transformation. For us, it's not just a historical material, but one that invites reinterpretation. It's a bridge between the earth and human touch, between past and possibility.'

The project – described as a celebration of marble – was brought to life in collaboration with the Greek Marble Association, as part of an Enterprise Greece initiative to promote the material, alongside the creation of the new brand 'Greek Marble | Then. Now. Forever.', bringing together seven marble companies from across the country.

Highlighting marble's untapped potential as a sustainable material, OoCI adds: 'Greece’s marble industry is both rooted and evolving. There’s deep expertise, inherited over generations, but also a growing openness to experimentation and contemporary design collaborations.'

'With numerous active quarries across the country, Greece is not only a key extractor but also a major exporter, equipped with cutting-edge machinery and modern techniques. Marble today can no longer be viewed as solely a symbol of grandeur or antiquity – it’s entering a more nuanced dialogue, responding to ideas around sustainability, craftsmanship, and sensorial experience.'

Soft Horizons, 7-12 April, Alcova, Serre Di Pasino, Via Emanuelle II, 54, 20814, Varedo

objectsofcommoninterest.com

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