Duomo

Duomo came from looking at the entrances of Italian cathedrals, where architecture often seems to build depth through repetition. St Mark’s Basilica in Venice offers a wonderful example.

Around its doorways, slender columns sit together in groups. Some project forward while others recede, creating layers before you even reach the entrance. They give these enormous buildings a surprisingly intricate sense of detail.

I have always liked how those columns work together. Individually they are simple architectural elements. Gathered closely, they create a much richer texture of alternating curves, edges and narrow spaces.

Duomo takes that idea of nested columns and flattens it completely. The architectural reference remains, but the weight and grandeur disappear. What is left is the rhythm created by forms sitting closely alongside one another.

There is also an interesting change of scale. Cathedral columns belong to monumental architecture, yet their basic geometry can feel remarkably decorative when separated from the building.

That was the idea behind Duomo. It takes a small detail from an enormous architectural setting and lets that detail become the subject.