For the first time at the exclusive Villa Ciani venue, during YouNique 2026 (March 27-29), Studio Marco Piva presents a unique installation that explores the boundaries of matter and perception.
A sensory journey where stone, the eternal emblem of a primordial element and seemingly immutable mass, soars in the lightness of light. The Lightness of Stone is an immersive experience conceived by architect Marco Piva in partnership with Helios Autmazioni, a leader in innovative marble processing technologies.
The Lightness of Stone is an immersive experience conceived by architect Marco Piva in partnership with Helios Automazioni, a leader in innovative marble processing technologies. In the Exhibition, the collective imagination that identifies stone with the idea of weight and immobility is overturned: imposing pieces deceive the senses, heavy only in appearance, but evanescent to the touch and in perception. The Lightness of Stone aims to provoke reflection on the relationship between matter, light, and perception, reflecting on the innovative drive generated by artistic creativity while celebrating the role of technology in investigating the still unexpressed potential of matter, particularly marble, blurring the boundary between art and design and emphasizing the crossover between the two disciplines.
SMP‘s participation marks its debut as the first design studio among the exhibitors at YouNique, a recognition that highlights its interdisciplinary and innovative approach. This achievement has been made possible by the intense artistic activity of Marco Piva, whose pioneering vision combines architecture, design, and art, supported by continuous research into materials that explores their expressive and tactile potential in a contemporary key, opening up new perspectives for the studio on the international art fair scene.
The artworks designed by Marco Piva are produced by Tortuga Lab, an expression of a “distributed factory” that combines traditional manufacturing with advanced digital technologies. The Artworks on display are: CITY OF LIGHT and TOWERS OF LIGHT, CONVERSATION ON STONE – FLYING PAPERS and STONE FLOWER TABLE. These artworks are produced by General Marmi Srl – Farra di Soligo (TV) and Fratelli Nicodemo Srl – Praia a Mare (CS), partners of Tortuga Lab.
CITY OF LIGHT
(outside the entrance to Villa Ciani) It transcends installation to question the essence of contemporary architecture: in an era of sustainability and illusion, the intent is to demonstrate how noble material – eternal marble – can dialogue with the immaterial – transient light – to generate tactile and visual emotions. By day, it celebrates urban monumentality; by night, it evokes the fragility of luminous cities, a tribute to global metropolises.
TOWERS OF LIGHT (Room 6)
The composition consists of 3 parallelepipeds in Bianco Assoluto marble, calibrated to a reduced thickness and equipped with internal LED lighting. The support base is made of structural aluminum, with a mechanical fixing system for the stone elements.
STONE FLOWER TABLE (Room 6)
It embodies the essence of a flower in full bloom, with organic shapes that unfold in a fluid and vital movement. The marble, shaped into sinuous lines with fluid veins, evokes petals opening gracefully. Each curve celebrates the metamorphosis of matter into sculptural poetry, where stillness becomes a harmonious dance.
CONVERSATION ON STONE – FLYING PAPERS (Room 6)
A series of thin curved marble slabs, depicted as sheets blown by the wind, embody an open narrative, imprinted with technological precision on surfaces that defy the apparent gravity of the material, thus revealing the infinite potential of an ancient material, renewed by technology. Here, the stone reveals an unusual duality: solid consistency combines with fluid dynamism, creating a scenic space for encounter and contemplation.
