From 22 to 26 September, Bologna confirms itself as the international capital of design and planning by hosting a new edition of Cersaie, the International Exhibition of Ceramic Tile and Bathroom Furnishings. Five days dedicated to innovation, networking, and the discovery of products of excellence: an unmissable appointment for architects, designers, contractors, and industry professionals.
Leading companies from all over the world will preview future trends, high-performance materials and cutting-edge solutions in the fields of surfaces, bathroom furniture and finishes for architectural spaces. Alongside the exhibition area, there will be a rich programme of cultural events and talks that will offer visitors an opportunity for updating and direct comparison with the protagonists of the international scene.
One of the most eagerly awaited appointments on the “Costruire Abitare Pensare” (Building, Dwelling, Thinking) cultural calendar will be the talk by the Portuguese studio CAN RAN arquitectura, scheduled for Thursday 25 September at 11 a.m. at “The Square”, in the heart of the exhibition centre.
Founded by sisters Catarina and Rita Almada Negreiros, the CAN RAN arquitectura studio stands out on the international scene for its innovative use of ceramics as an active architectural element. Not mere cladding, but a dynamic surface and spatial transformation device: this is the leitmotif of a research inspired by the Portuguese tradition of azulejos, reinterpreted in a contemporary key.
Emblematic, in this sense, is the Sea Level project, realised in 2011 at the Terreiro do Paço river station in Lisbon. A mosaic ceiling composed of 10×10 cm ceramics in shades of blue, capable of creating a perceptive and symbolic dialogue with the nearby Tagus river, transforming a functional space into a sensorial experience.
Catarina and Rita Almada Negreiros’ work focuses mainly on the regeneration of existing spaces: renovations of public and private buildings, urban redevelopment, adaptive reuse projects. Interventions always calibrated to the context, in which the existing architectural heritage is enhanced with a respectful yet innovative language.
Throughout their careers, the two designers have successfully participated in international and national competitions, winning major awards, including first prize for the Jardin des Délices in Lille (France) and second prize for the Architecture Foundation’s new headquarters in London.
Their working method is based on a multidisciplinary synthesis of skills: Catarina Almada Negreiros, a graduate of the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Lisbon, furthered her education at the IUAV in Venice, the London-based MUF studio and the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Rita Almada Negreiros, a graduate of Lisbon’s Lusíada University, gained professional experience in Paris, Barcelona and with the renowned architect Jordi Castel.
In 2002, the two sisters founded the CAN RAN arquitectura studio in Lisbon, specialising in projects that combine architectural rigour and aesthetic research, functionality and material experimentation.
The talk at Cersaie will be an opportunity to discover their design poetics, in which ceramics become a language capable of narrating places, transforming them and giving them back to the community.
