Cristina Morbi's Lithic Chords at Venice Architecture Biennale 2025

At the 19th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice, curated by Carlo Ratti, landscape architect Cristina Morbi presents "Lithic Chords/Corda Litica" in the Arsenale's outdoor spaces near the Italian Pavilion. The installation, created in collaboration with the Fondazione Sciola, reimagines stone as a vibrant, performative material. Composed of 33 stone fragments of different origins and geologies—three marbles, three granites, and one quartzite—donated by Cereser, the work uses metal cables and tensioners from Manni Sipre and Maccalloy, with assembly by The Stonemasonry Company. The dry construction allows the stones to be disassembled and reinstalled elsewhere. Morbi, founder of London-based Maetherea Studio, recently won the Premio Donna del Marmo 2025 at Marmomac in Verona, awarded by the Associazione Nazionale Le Donne del Marmo for her research on natural stone, water, and vegetation. The work aligns with the Biennale theme "Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective," exploring stone's geological intelligence. Morbi also discusses her other projects: "Understory – Tapestry of the Unseen" at Orticolario in Como, which celebrates textile traditions and embraces imperfection through spontaneous plants like burdock, and "Ruderal Calligraphies," a commission from ADI exploring porous stone facades that host pioneer species. The interview highlights a renewed "Stone Age" in architecture, positioning stone as a sustainable alternative to concrete.