One of the most iconic monsters of the classical world, in Greek mythology the chimera was a hybrid beast, a four-legged creature with the forequarters of a lion and the hindquarters of a dragon, with a goat's head grafted onto its central trunk. Associated with the general ideal of combining initially incongruous parts, the term chimera refers - also in biological and zoological terms - to a fusion between units that originates a new identity, which provides an almost perfect description of the decorative inspiration behind the ceramic collection carrying this name designed by Elena Salmistraro.
Originating from four graphic themes - entitled Empatia, Radici, Ritmo and Colore – this family of large slabs has a striking visual extroversion, with motifs that blend different graphic and colour codes with scraps that mimic the surfaces of stones, fabrics and leathers. In this expressive carousel, constantly pursuing the guiding image of the chimera, the designer orchestrates intriguing implanted figures, amplified by the use of an innovative ceramic surface finishing technique. In addition to delivering a completely new level of colour brightness, this process produces carved or raised decors that generate tactile sensations with an extraordinary effect, rather like tiny embroidered patterns that spread across the slabs, with results unlike anything previously offered by a CEDIT brand product.
Empatia speaks to the emotions with graphics that interpret, through a highly individual abstract code, the stage make-up of a clown, with the aid of superimposed geometric forms and images. Radici is a tribal statement, a tribute to primitive ritual custom, evoked by the interplay between a sequence of triangles and rectangles and a set of figurative fragments. Ritmo is inspired by fabrics, suggesting the rhythmic alternation of woven yarns through a largely linear pattern. In Colore, the upheaval of a background of small isolated spots generated by a parametric digital program is combined with densely packed repeated forms.
The collection's range is completed by a series of undecorated slabs. The many possible combinations of all these pieces provide an amazingly original ceramic covering programme, which blends highly personal illustration with sensory impressions; in Chimera, Elena Salmistraro merges rigour with self-expression, in a graphic grammar laden with symbolic meaning.
