In the immortal words of David Bowie, “Do you ever think about sound and vision?”

How about taste, smell, texture?

In view of “Concreta”—the exhibition/full-on sensual immersion into the nature of Tessieri’s graniglia and cement tiles—texture is the odds-on favorite. But we shouldn’t forget that this isn’t only about tile, but rather, “a visual and material narrative into the seductive power of material.”

Nor are Tessieri’s tiles just tiles. 123 years old and counting, Tessieri boasts an artisanal heritage with roots evident in each and every compressed quadrilateral. Ever hear of the double-layer technique? Neither had I. “Ensuring both strength and refinement,” double layer manufacture dictates the facing side be a conglomerate of cement, marble dust, rock fragments, and pigments; while the base layer consists of washed river sand and cement.

The composition explains the signature two-tone appearance of each tile, with the facing side adorned with a variety of patterns—historical and contemporary, as the company still employs over 300 original divider molds used during the past century—and the bottom imprinted with the timeless Tessieri insignia.

For Concreta, Tessieri has collaborated with the design and architecture studio Storage Milano—the initial display of an ongoing project to define a new artistic direction for the company.

More in keeping with museum exhibits than a design show (but isn’t that the essence of Salone?), Concreta puts the material in dialogue with elusive spaces as a way of showcasing its versatility: “three rooms, three visions.” As the images show, this isn’t the typical be-decked and be-dazzled, but rather an open construction site in an historic building, “a space of layering and regeneration, where dialogue with the past becomes fertile ground for future experimentation.”

The different rooms dramatize various patterns and laying techniques. Room one focuses on a pitch black floor in a herringbone pattern made with new cement tile strips designed by Storage Milano.

The second is all about vertical layering and ascension. It features an assemblage of tiles fastened together with metal elements—ultimately a reference to tapestry that suggests symbiosis between textiles and Tessieri tiles.

And the last features the ineffable buzz of old CRT TVs, resting atop pedestals made of stacked tiles: “a muffled atmosphere, far from the chaos of FuoriSalone, inviting calm contemplation of projections that reveal the charm of the material and the perpetuation of ancient techniques.”

Yes, there’s something calming about an old-world building block placed in dialogue with the history of new-world media and communication. There’s also something reassuring about how this iconic, artisanal product transcends time and space. But really, it’s as simple as seeing the tiles from all sides, at every elevation and each angle, as illuminated by multitudinous casts of light.

See Concreta during Salone del Mobile at Magazzini Bracchi, Via Borgospesso 1. Read more about the ongoing collaboration at Tessieri and Storage Milano.