Snøhetta and VitrA Illuminate Material Transformation with Ceramics Forged in Light at INTERNI MATERIAE

Snøhetta, in collaboration with VitrA, unveils Ceramics Forged in Light, an immersive installation created for MATERIAE, the 2026 exhibition presented by INTERNI during FuoriSalone and Salone del Mobile in Milan. The installation will be on view from April 20-30,2026 at Fuorisalone.

Conceived as a meditation on material transformation, the installation approaches ceramics as a living process shaped by elemental forces. Advanced fabrication and refined craftsmanship intersect with the inherent intelligence of clay, reflecting VitrA’s ongoing exploration of ceramic as both tradition and innovation. Grounded in the interplay of water, fire, earth, and air, the work responds to INTERNI MATERIAE – ​ the major event of Milano Fuorisalone 2026, created by INTERNI – ​ which continues its exploration of the technical and experimental potential of materials within contemporary design.

Photo by VitrA/Paolo ConsagaPhoto by VitrA/Paolo Consaga

Removing boundaries

Drawing on Snøhetta’s holistic design approach, the work removes boundaries between architecture, landscape, interior, and product design. Ceramics Forged in Light reflects VitrA’s spirit of experimentation and its ongoing advances in circular production, where ceramics can be reintroduced into the manufacturing process. The installation traces a quiet arc from earth to rebirth, revealing material not as a fixed object but as part of a continuous cycle of transformation.

“Ceramic is one of the most enduring materials in human culture, yet it continues to evolve. Ceramics Forged in Light invites a dialogue between elements, where material reveals itself not as something fixed but as a living continuum. It is shaped, reshaped, and continually reimagined. The installation encourages visitors to slow down and engage with the material’s origins, its sensory qualities, and its future potential, ” says Anne-Rachel Schiffmann, Director of Interior Architecture at Snøhetta
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Interplay of Materials

Through the interplay of material, scent, and sound, the installation creates an atmosphere of quiet discovery, where simple forms become vessels for shifting perception. Light acts as a symbolic fire—the transformative force that turns raw clay into ceramic.

Light enters through oculi above, recalling ancient bathhouses where it dances with water and stone in a slow, enduring choreography. The space becomes contemplative and immersive, where architecture and nature converge. Basins, vessels, and surfaces take on a heightened presence, shaped moment by moment by light and water over time.

At the center of the installation, a water-filled bowl acts as a reflective pool, amplifying VitrA’s ceramic elements and inviting visitors to reconsider their tactile qualities and technological evolution. Its surface acts as both a mirror and a threshold, subtly shifting perception while reflecting the forms around it.

The installation highlights VitrA’s commitment to responsible production and circular design. By foregrounding ceramics’ inherent qualities alongside craftsmanship and technological innovation, the project demonstrates how material stewardship can become a catalyst for creativity, opening new pathways for sustainable design.

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Photos by: VitrA/Paolo Consaga

About Vitra

VitrA is part of the Eczacıbaşı Group, one of Turkey’s most prominent industrial groups. Founded in 1958, VitrA is a leading manufacturer of building products with a strong international presence across Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, India, the GCC, and Southeast Asia. The Group operates four international brands: VitrA, Villeroy & Boch, Engers, and Burgbad.

VitrA is one of the few global brands providing an integrated range of bathroom solutions and surface systems for contemporary living spaces. By applying design intelligence to the total bathroom concept, VitrA Bathroom creates inspiring solutions with a wide range of options, down to the smallest detail. VitrA Tiles offers a comprehensive selection of indoor and outdoor surfaces that harmonize color, pattern, and texture, combining functionality with refined aesthetic appeal.

Operating 16 production facilities across four countries, VitrA manufactures a full range of bathroom products, including over 6.7 million sanitaryware units annually, along with complementary bathroom furniture, concealed cisterns, brassware, accessories, and 34 million m² of tiles. These products are distributed to approximately 90 countries across five continents.

About Interni

Published since 1954 as the first Italian periodical dedicated to interior decoration, INTERNI is today one of the main communication media in the field of Italian and international contemporary design, an essential working tool for professionals and design enthusiasts.

In 2024, the magazine celebrated its first 70 years of publication, during which it had ​ the good fortune to share in the fantastic and adventurous story of Italian furniture and decoration. It has closely monitored the growth of design generated by the brilliant intuitions and works of courageous and outstanding figures in culture, architecture, design, and entrepreneurship.

Beginning in the first half of the 1990s, the monthly magazine became part of Italy’s leading publishing group, AME Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, and, under the editorship of Gilda Bojardi, developed over time into a system of parallel publications that transformed the magazine from elite media to mass media. INTERNI’s activities also include the conception and coordination of events and exhibitions, organized to promote encounters among designers, manufacturers, and distributors.

The famous Fuorisalone, an urban phenomenon that enlivens the city of Milan during the week of the Salone del Mobile, was created in 1990 on INTERNI’s initiative, which in 2021 celebrated its 30th edition with the publication of Volume XXX-Y 30 anni di Fuorisalone | 1990-2020 Milano Design Stories (Electa).

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