Chromateria - a Sirca event

This year (2016) in Milan, the company producing varnishes and paints for wood Sirca- present on the Romanian market since 1993 - organized the event Chromatography. The event put the spotlight on the dialogue between art, architecture and industry. I am presenting this event for three reasons: I found the idea original, it was a very special and avant-garde event and, last but not least, it made me look differently at a varnish and paint manufacturer I have known for a long time.

Lacquers and paints are an integral part of design and architecture.

Evention Chromatography took place at the Diocesano Museum in Milan during Design Week in April. The installations in the museum's interior courtyard were designed by designer Luca Trazzi and created by Sirca's long-standing collaborators using the Italian manufacturer's lacquers and paints.

The idea of the event was to show the world that varnishes and paints are an integral part of design and architecture. In an ever-changing, ever-challenging world, collaboration between architects, designers and manufacturers is a must. The makers have set out and succeeded in leading the visitor into a creative and sensory world full of colours, materials and textures.

To realise the project, Sirca challenged its collaborators to provide their traditional products to bring Luca Trazzi's idea to life. The project was designed in such a way that all materials could be reused after the event.

Basically, the whole layout consisted of a wall made of 136 steel waste collection tanks, complemented by 2 12 m high towers made of window frames that rotated in relation to each other. The wall replaced the 4th side of the museum's inner garden, destroyed during the Second World War. During the event, images from inside the museum were projected onto it, alternating with colourful images. The painting was complemented by wooden fittings around two fountains and an 18 m long table under the arches. The table, created with an impressive array of colours and textures, allowed visitors to touch the finishes, feel them, and discover the differences in textures.

Luca Trazzi says that his project showed people the possibility of using the coating products in a different way to spark visitors' creativity. He is convinced that the event's installations took the world into a realm of the senses and creativity.

With Cromateria, Sirca has gone to another level, presenting itself to architects and designers as an equal partner.