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The story of Sicis is rooted in an understanding and appreciation for one of the oldest decorative arts of human civilisation.
The legacy of the Byzantine empire manifests in modern times with the world’s most beautiful mosaics, weaving living space tapestries of your dreams.
The first examples of mosaics were unearthed from the Mesopotamian civilisation in the archaeological remains of the Ur and Uruk cities, which are some 5,000 years old. In time, this decorative technique spread across the world, appearing in ancient Greek monuments as artistic depictions of mythologies with marble and onyx added to the mix.
The nascent Islamic world used mosaics widely to depict geometric and floral motifs, while the Byzantine Empire brought mosaic art to a brilliant apex, with the basilicas of Ravenna and Constantinople sumptuously wrought by glazed mosaics and pure gold.
Along this historical retracing, Ravenna pops up frequently as a location inextricably linked to the art of mosaic. Roman floor mosaics were discovered in Ravenna in the houses of freed men and upper
nobility, while its standing as one of Byzantium’s two imperial cities meant that it was one of the shining lights of mosaic art from antiquity.
In the modern day, Ravenna has birthed one of the most contemporary applications of mosaic. Sicis, founded in 1986 by Maurizio Leo Placuzzi and headquartered in Ravenna, has restored an ancient tradition and reinvented mosaic for a modern world. Its projects adorn private and public spaces across five continents.
As the only brand for mosaics completely produced in Italy, the Sicis story combines innovation for the most complete chromatic palette on the market, with over 600 colours. The composition of its glass is 75 per cent natural materials, with gold and silver leaf adding to the purity of its colours. Sicis also makes a case for textures with 3D chips, water jet-cut marble and private commissions that utilise precious stones and glass of reinforced thickness.
The secret to this savoir faire lies in its century-strong team of master mosaicists, who are graduates of the Ravenna Music Art Academy. This inherent expertise has led to an advanced execution of the art of mosaic, as seen in Sicis’s next- generation Vetrite series, which combines 56 exclusive metal and textile finishes enclosed within two slabs of resistant Sicis engineered glass. These pieces go up to 1.2m by 2.8m in size, and may be used for walls, floors, countertops, backsplashes, sanitaryware coverings and pools.
Meanwhile, its home collection – comprising 250 original pieces – are designed by Sicis’s team of artisans incorporating mosaic jewels with ebony, glass, silk and fabric for a one- of- a-kind look. These embellishments also offer imperious accents with door pulls, ceiling lamps and Tessere textile fabrics for upholstery and tapestry.
In Malaysia, Sicis is represented
The Sicis story combines innovation for the most complete chromatic palette on the market.
by Bath+, which is located at Kota Damansara in Klang Valley.
To commemorate its three decades of being, Sicis has planned a grand tribute for the art of mosaic in its exposition entitled Sicis, Destination Micromosaic. Held at Ravenna’s famous 17th- century Palazzo Rasponi dale Teste from 5 October to 7 January, the world of mosaic will be enjoyed as never before through an immersive virtual simulation weaving the traditional craft with cuttingedge multimedia technology. www.sicis.com ≠