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The flavour of water / 96

An ordinary everyday gesture such as the purification of tap water is given a flavour of magical alchemy in the latest project by Formafantasma for Lobmeyr: a collection of objects in glass and copper.

In final part of the display, in one of the last rooms in Palazzo Bagatti Valsecchi, the collection designed by Formafantasma for the legendary Viennese company J&L Lobmeyr presents a captivating attention to detail in its making and an experimental approach that adapts well to tradition.

il sapore dell'acqua — Formafantasma, Still

Conceived for serving at its best the most essential of drinks, tap water, "Still" is a range of engraved crystal that, combined with copper and active carbon, filters and improves the taste of tap water. The pieces are the continuation of the research into the purification of water begun by the designers in 2012 with "Charcoal".

The skilled craftsmanship of the pieces and the proportions of the copper filters invite the user to handle them with care, transforming these everyday gestures into a ritual of water purification. The crystal has been engraved with two different motifs: the first is the reproduction of a microscopic bacteria that lives in rivers, the other is the representation of organisms that live in the oceans and have a skeleton made from silicon, the principal component of glass.

A copper ladle, inspired by pieces by Oswald Haerdtl is used as a container to activate carbon. Finally a collection of copper beakers play homage to the "Alpha" service no. 267 by Hans Herald Rath.