MATERIA Corticeira Amorim, a worldwide renowned cork producer, launches Materia, a collection of cork products born from the successful collaboration between four international and six Portuguese artists. An experimental approach to a material that is still relatively unknown but useful in many applications. The intention is to invent products suitable for modern customers and their needs. "MATERIA": the worldwide launch of the brand took place in Milan, during the Fuorisalone. The new brand of cork objects was created by Experimentadesign and Co

MATERIA Corticeira Amorim, a worldwide renowned cork producer, launches Materia, a collection of cork products born from the successful collaboration between four international and six Portuguese artists. An experimental approach to a material that is still relatively unknown but useful in many applications. The intention is to invent products suitable for modern customers and their needs. "MATERIA": the worldwide launch of the brand took place in Milan, during the Fuorisalone. The new brand of cork objects was created by Experimentadesign and Corticeira Amorim, two leaders of the sector at an international level. On April 13 2011, in Milan, Experimentadesign and Amorim, the world leader of cork industry, presented a new and eccentric collection of items made primarily of cork. The goal of both companies is to open the way of creativity towards new potential uses of cork, which is one of the most interesting raw materials of the 21st century. From this vision comes MATERIA, a collection of unreleased objects with a strong identity and an innovative potential. It all started in 2009, when the largest producer of cork worldwide, Corticeira Amorim, presented a challenge to Experimentadesign: to rethink and re-evaluate cork as a material, pairing and merging it with design. Ten of the best Portuguese and international designers were recruited to develop 21 new objects made primarily with natural cork, taking the best advantage of the physical and mechanical characteristics of this material, and at the same time playing with its visual and sensory qualities. Despite belonging to different countries, backgrounds and generations, these designers shared a common philosophy of research, oriented to a strictly authorial work from which resulted projects curated to the smallest detail and able to reflect at the same time a strong passion and dedication to creative imagination. Among the designers who have accepted the challenge of Corticeira Amorim, there are: Filipe Alarcão (also coordinator of the project) Fernando Brizio, Miguel Vieira Baptista, Daniel Caramelo, Studio Pedrita and Marco Sousa Santos from Portugal; and then BIG-GAME (Switzerland / Belgium), Inga Sempé (France), Nendo (Japan) and Raw Edges (Israel / UK). Some of the most respected and appreciated names in today design scene. All these designers contribute, with their own style, to the MATERIA project, through their original and eclectic vision and personal approaches to themes such as "concept", "use" and "aesthetic design". The following year was characterized by a chaotic and intense teamwork, based on discussion, development and experimentation carried out by the designers with the support of the artistic direction and the technical department of Corticeira Amorim. After months of hard work, the result is MATERIA: a new original and visionary concept that becomes part of Amorim's portfolio. MATERIA is a brand that looks to a material such as cork under a renewed perspective and proposes a variety of applications suitable for every lifestyle. The company MATERIA wants to introduce the use of cork in everyday life, through the creation of a number of unusual and surprising objects. Marvelous design objects, mainly made of this unique and versatile material that is the natural cork, taking advantage of its physical and mechanical characteristics and playing with it at the same time, with its visual and sensory quality. Characterized by different shapes and types, the objects created by MATERIA are able to mix innovation, functionality and above all an empathetic approach to contemporary lifestyles. This new brand was created by Amorim and Experimentadesign with the purpose of encouraging the public to rediscover a different material such as natural cork. Cork is a material that has had a long history and its potential for use is yet to be widely explored in many areas, both technically and from an aesthetic point of view. The very successful combination of design, industrial production capacity, and attention to the contemporary needs of consumers, have been the cornerstones of product development for MATERIA. Antonio Amorim, who is also President of the company, says: "We are currently witnessing a new, significant presence of cork in its main markets. Natural cork is in fact the best solution to meet the technical and environmental challenges that many sectors are currently facing. MATERIA Cork by Amorim, was born from the constant commitment of Corticeira Amorim in the development of new and surprising cork applications with a high added value, able to capitalize on the know-how and the company's investment in research and development. As global leaders in the field, we have never stopped believing in this unique raw material capable of generating added value, with an unparalleled result in a technical, environmental and social perspective. " But what are the actual characteristics of cork? Consider that so far it has not been possible to reproduce or replicate the cell structures of this natural material, which is really unique. Cork is extracted from the bark of cork oak (a typical species of the Western Mediterranean Sea). It is a cutting-edge raw material that requires a minimum processing before use. Its peculiar, innovative and above all sustainable features, make it a very innovative material to be used in the creation of design objects. The Torno bowl for shelves is a good example of it: a fantastic accessory that can be assembled and disassembled according to your needs thanks to a simple and flexible mechanism. In the shape of a small bowl, it becomes a comfortable support to leave and take the various objects that form part of your daily living. Ideal for the console table at the entrance of the house, to contain your keys and coins when you come home. Or to have at hand all the little things that we are always looking for (staples in the office, cotton in the bathroom, glasses near the bed). Inspired by cork's ability to absorbe sounds, vibrations and possible shocks, the size and the elegant features of the Torno shelf bowl make it a safe place where preserving your most precious things. The company MATERIA is proposed to introduce the use of cork in everyday life, through the creation of a number of unusual

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