Design Miami/Basel 2016 Preview: Modern archaeology

Basel – Delta is a series of objects by design studio FormaFantasma that updates ancient Roman artefacts for modern consumers.

• The studio spent a year researching and photographing ancient Roman sites as inspiration for the objects
• It chose a restricted palette of materials related to those that would have been used in imperial Rome

FormaFantasma’s research included photographing numerous Roman archaeological venues and museums, a process that inspired them to create a range of contemporary objects based on mundane artefacts from imperial Rome. Commissioned by Rome-based Galleria O Roma, the Delta collection is made of a variety of vessels and lights, an oil lantern, a cabinet and a mirror.

The designers used a palette of materials related to those used during the imperial era for the products, including marble, porcelain, wood, travertine and brass, which contrasts with many of the objects’ highly contemporary form. Some items, such as the disc-shaped LED pendant light, were directly inspired by Roman buildings, in this case the central opening of the Pantheon’s ceiling.

‘FormaFantasma chose the name Delta because it does not focus on a single moment of the complex physical and historical stratification of the eternal city, but rather on a temporal bridge,’ says Galleria O Roma curator Domitilla Dardi.