Japanese Architect Kengo Kuma, Alcantara Provide Set Design for Naples Opera House

by · WWD
Kengo Kuma's Shiwa Shiwa for Alcantara in Naples' Teatro di San Carlo during Edit NapoliSerena Eller

MILAN — Leading Japanese architect Kengo Kuma brought the sort of operatic grandeur he infuses into his monumental buildings everywhere from Tokyo to Dallas to the stage.

The award-winning architect designed the backdrop for Giuseppe Verdi’s cloak and dagger masterpiece “Simon Boccanegra” at Naples’ Teatro di San Carlo using the material Alcantara. Kuma is also famous for his design of the Dallas Rolex building and the Japan National Stadium.

The Alcantara firm, which manufactured the eponymous trademarked material, said the project was part of the Edit Napoli design fair, which ran between Friday and Sunday. Now in its sixth season, the three-day fair was founded by curators Emilia Petruccelli (curator and former Bain & Co consultant) and Domitilla Dardi (design historian and curator), and was envisaged to enhance Napoli’s image as a design hub.

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This season, Edit Napoli once again welcomed an international roster of names including artist Allegra Hicks at the Ipogeo dei Cristallini necropolis, and design firm Cassina, which staged a tribute to historic icons from its Cassina iMaestri collection at the city’s royal palace Palazzo Reale.

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Alcantara — which produces for leading brands across fashion and accessories, the automotive industry, interior design, home decor and consumer electronics — has worked with artists, curators, museums and cultural institutions for a series of projects involving its trademarked material since 2011.

For the event, Kuma named his Alcantara creation “Shiwa Shiwa,” meaning “crease-furrow,” describing a Japanese concept relative to the curvilinear development found in nature, and its elusiveness.

Kengo KumaCourtesy of Alcantara

Alcantara said through the project Kuma found a personal link with the city of Naples, through its volcanic landscape, similar to his homeland. Aglow with dramatic, animated lighting curated by Filippo Cannata, Kuma’s waves came to life in shimmering, metallic glory, reminiscent of the battle scenes interwoven into the suspenseful opera.

 First performed at Teatro La Fenice in Venice in 1857,  the opera illustrates the story of the ill-fated Simon Boccanegra, a 14th-century political leader who became Doge of Genoa. The opera was based on a play by Antonio García Gutiérrez.

Alcantara chief executive officer Eugenio Lolli told WWD that Kuma’s participation rendered the opera “an all encompassing work of art.” He also commented on Edit’s prominence on the annual design calendar.

“We are particularly proud to have participated with this project in Edit, the editorial and author design fair, which has now reached its sixth edition. Also thanks to Edit, Naples has become to all intents and purposes a place of attraction and scouting at an international level,” he told WWD.

Alessandra Mustilli