When cladding becomes object: TAU at Fuorisalone

In Milan, design doesn’t stop at the fairgrounds. Every April, the entire city becomes a laboratory of ideas, materials, and ways of living. In that context, this year we took part in Fuorisalone with a very specific and very personal image: a traditional wine bota reinterpreted in a contemporary key through ceramics. We are part of Spanish Design as a Souvenir, the installation promoted by Tile of Spain and designed by CODOO Studio within MATERIAE, the major exhibition held at La Statale during Milan Design Week.

The proposal brings together eleven pieces conceived specifically for this exhibition and offers a compelling reflection on Spanish design and its ability to become material memory. Rather than presenting ceramics as mere cladding, the installation places it at the center of the discourse: as object, as volume, and as a language capable of constructing meaning.

Our contribution focuses on La Bota, one of the pieces in the collection. This object is particularly interesting to us because it immediately activates a shared memory: it speaks of tradition, gesture, and popular culture, but also of design when it is scaled differently and removed from its usual context. In Milan, La Bota ceases to be a recognizable souvenir and becomes a sculptural presence.

To clad it, we worked with Balistone Sand Matt 7×28, a glazed porcelain tile with a matte finish, stone effect, and versatile use. It features 18 graphics that enrich the surface and add nuance to the whole. Its small format introduces a more dynamic visual rhythm and a strong ability to adapt to volume—something we know well from interior design projects and that is here transferred to a piece created specifically for an international exhibition.

The Sand tone also brings a restrained warmth. It has a subtle elegance that doesn’t need to assert itself to be present. In La Bota, this quality is especially valuable: the piece retains its iconic strength but gains a more refined, tactile, and contemporary reading. The ceramic follows the form, emphasizes its curves, and gives it a texture that changes depending on distance and light.

That is probably what interests us most about our participation in this year’s Fuorisalone: seeing how a material traditionally associated with walls and floors can take on an autonomous role within contemporary design. In Spanish Design as a Souvenir, Spanish ceramics are presented as both body and memory. We do so through a very specific piece, yet one capable of conveying a broader idea: small formats can also build narrative, emotion, and sculptural presence.

Returning to Milan during a week when Fuorisalone and Salone del Mobile focus international attention on design represents, for us, an opportunity to continue exploring new scales and contexts for ceramics. This year, we do so through La Bota and Balistone Sand 7×28, asserting an approach to material that combines versatility, sensitivity, and a contemporary vocation.