Crossing

SYN Architects, Hometown Moon — A large glass and concrete semicircle towers over a body of water, generating the image of a full moon. The chapel was commissioned by Lushang Group to encourage visitors to explore the natural landscape around the city of Tai’an (China). synarchitects.com

F l y m e t o t h e m o o n

M y s t e r i o u s , e v o c a t i v e , a s y m b o l o f c h a n g e p a r e x c e l l e n c e . T h e m o o n , t h e s a t e l l i t e t h a t i n f l u e n c e s t i d e s a n d m o o d s , i s a s o u r c e o f i n s p i r a t i o n f o r architects, stylists and designers

by Marta Lavinia Carboni

Olafur Eliasson, ‘Dark matter collective’ — The work consists of 217 silver and black glass spheres that vary in their colouring according to the observer’s point of view, changing into new or full moons at every step. The Icelandic-Danish artist is now on show at Palazzo Strozzi with ‘Olafur Eliasson: Nel tuo tempo’ (Olafur Eliasson: In Your Time), until 22/01/2023. olafureliasson.net

Valentino Couture, The Beginning — Pierpaolo Piccioli’s Roman fashion show held in the historic setting of Trinità dei Monti last July showcased Fall-Winter 2022-23 Haute Couture. Silver glitter faces and otherworldly dresses studded with crystals stood out on the catwalk. valentino.com Studio Furthermore, Moon Rock — With their characteristic material language, London-based Marina Dragomirova & Iain Howlett create small pieces of furniture that look like fragments from lunar craters. Collectable, made entirely of 100% recycled aluminium from discarded car wheels. studiofurthermore.com

Gucci, Cosmogonie — In the evocative setting of Castel del Monte in Andria (Bari), under a sky lit by the full May moon, Alessandro Michele’s show for the Spring-Summer 2023 collection was staged. The invitation to the fashion show included a drawing of the Moon’s phases and a certificate of ‘adoption’ of a star. gucci.com

Kubo Tsushima Architects, Moon Phase — As part of the renovation project of a 13-room hotel, the Japanese studio inserts a lamp-installation in the wall, reproducing the shape and intensity of the Moon’s phases thanks to a dimming and swivelling system that can vary according to needs and moods. kbtsm.com

Giuseppe Lo Schiavo, ‘Metafisica’ (Metaphysics) — The NFT animation from which this frame is taken is set in a metaphysical, lunar-inspired place where a robot dog (the future of art and technology) witnesses the destruction of the past (the Greek statue of Diskophoros). In the centre is the astronaut, symbol of man’s desire to explore. giuseppeloschiavo.com Lunara, Equitone — Inspired by the raw beauty of the Earth’s satellite, this cladding panel seems to come from another planet. Made of fibre cement and with an otherworldly appearance, no two panels are alike thanks to a special production process that creates random, unique surfaces. equitone.com

F r o m t h e V e n i c e B i e n n a l e t o t h e m o u n t a i n s o f C h i n a , t h e m o o n a p p e a r s i n a r c h i t e c t u r a l p r o j e c t s a n d e v e n i n d e d i c a t e d a p p s

Fatoumata Kébé, ‘Il libro della luna’ (The Book of the Moon) — Brilliant and promising French astronomist and astrophysicist, Kébé (pictured) has a dream of being the first woman to set foot on the moon. In her book (edited by Blackie, 2021) she recounts the history, myths and legends associated with the Earth’s satellite. From the influence it has on the tides to the secrets of its formation, exploring the mysteries of the universe. blackie-editions.co.uk

“The moon has always existed”, says Fatoumata Kébé in her ‘The Book of the Moon’ (Blackie Editions, 2021). “It changes shape, colour, makes oceans rise, plants grow, fairies dance. It marks time, gives rhythm and direction to life”. A symbol of change par excellence, this month it turns orange (the full moon is scheduled for 9/10) and, rising in a position closer to the horizon, looks even bigger. At this time of year, it is in the limelight, starting from the autumn equinox (from 23 September), with shorter and shorter days and more hours of darkness, waiting for the next spring, when the sun will be back. Unique but double, because it always hides one of its faces, it is the Earth’s only satellite, powerful enough to influence the tides, our biological rhythms and today even creativity, by inspiring the design world once again. At the last Venice Biennale Architettura, the Americans from Studio SOM (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill) together with ESA (European Space Agency) and MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) presented the Moon Village lunar settlement concept, displaying solar-powered housing modules designed to withstand extreme conditions. The Moon was also the protagonist of Gucci’s SS 2023 fashion show: Alessandro Michele chose an evening of total eclipse to present the Cosmogonie collection, staging a sort of cathartic rite in the evocative setting of Castel del Monte in Andria (Bari). Hiding instead in the remote area surrounding Mount Tai in China, the moon designed by Syn Architects, Hometown Moon, is a chapel for celebrations and events in the shape of a semicircle that, when reflected in the stretch of water below, generates the image of a full moon. Commissioned by Shandong Lushang Group, it is part of a larger territorial marketing operation to promote more tourism in rural areas. “The brief called for a holistic approach to connect the mountain villages in the region”, explain the Berlin-based architects. “We chose to go back to the cradle of Confucianism, reconstructing the city-countryside relationship”. Hometown Moon therefore evokes a connection with nature, rediscovers ancient traditions and generates an economic and social renewal. From the artificial moon to the real one, with Google Moon (a satellite application of Google Earth) that, thanks to a few zooms, allows us to visualise the landing sites of the Apollo missions that took place between 1961 and 1972. With the ambitious Artemis space programme, NASA is trying again: the third launch attempt of the rocket (98 metres long) designed to propel the Orion capsule to the moon is scheduled for mid-October. The spacecraft will host the crews, only expected to be on board in 2025, ready to return to the satellite, thus inaugurating a new season of space missions. For those who remain on Earth, there is Moonly, an app to tune into the rhythms of the moon by harnessing its energy. This is how one learns to cut the hair on a crescent moon, to never sow on a new moon or bottle on a full moon, and to always light a white candle on full moon nights. Ancient rituals that apparently still have a great influence on us, moon enthusiasts… or maybe lunatics. —