Renovation of a funeral chapel in Gorzone

CLIENT: Private

LOCATION AND CHRONOLOGY: Gorzone, Boario Terme (Brescia) - 2020/2021

TEAM CREDITS: Lorenzo Noè and Luigi Fregoni with Valentina Lapris and Chiara Crescenti

PHOTOGRAPHIES: Mattia Toselli

DIMENSION: 4 x 4 m

CONTRACTOR: Impresa Edile Antonioli (construction work), Novamosaici (stained glass), Pifferi & Alpi (door, window and solar chimney)

CONSTRUCTION BUDGET: 28.000,00 Euro

When Luigi Fregoni and I were asked to design the renovation of a family mortuary chapel to increase the spiritual dimension, I thought of a universal message of serenity, understandable to all, as I am not a believer. A woman born in Sicily, by the sea, who spent part of her life in the Lombardia valleys, is buried there. The client that is her daughter, wanted the chapel to evoke that Mediterranean atmosphere. So, immediately, blue came to my mind. Blue is the colour of sky and sea, it's the colour of the spirit and of transcendence. What shade of blue? We have always been interested in the infinite shades of blue: light blue, indigo, cerulean, sky blue. Light blue is peaceful and transparent, dark blue is deep and attractive. You get lost in both of them. The centre of the chapel is a stained-glass window in front of the entrance; its composition is designed to increase the experience of blue: wavy diagonal lines define different shades, where the sea is lost in the sky, with an overall impression of rising. The window is made of "dalles de verre" that are glass tiles with more than 2 centimetres of thickness, giving depth to the colour. The composition is designed to enhance the potential of this material. Looking at the window I think about Saint Denis or Chartres, about Auguste Perret's Notre-Dame du Raincy and about that blue was a colour of femininity, as opposed to the red of blood and struggle, considered more masculine until the early 20th century. Very often in Italy high-quality work is possible thanks to the skill of master craftsmen who are unique in their field. Special thanks therefore go to Fratelli Toniutti of Novamosaici.