Julian Modica, who studied at the Spilimbergo Mosaic School in Italy and worked for several years restoring the mosaics of the Rosary Basilica of Lourdes, has put his vast experience to use creating works that – as art historian Danila Venuto once put it – reveal the analogies between the objects of life outside us and our own internal mechanisms.

Making mysticism tangible

Already as a child and youth, Modica accompanied his father, a musician, on his concert tours, becoming familiar with numerous church concert venues and their geographical, social and cultural environment – in several European countries as well as Israel and the United States. During his school years at the music-focused Pestalozzi Secondary School in Munich, Modica deepened his interest in art, music and the handicrafts. Modica's feel for the mystical atmosphere of these places of worship characterizes his way of working: According to Helmschrott, the aim is to "consciously create and arrange structures and communicate these to the viewer in a way that in turn allows him or her to discover and arrange one's own internal and external structures." This process of making things visible can now be impressively experienced at DOMOTEX 2020, where Modica is creating a work inspired by nature using mosaic tiles and glass stones.

The origins of atmosphere

The project idea, which Modica developed especially for DOMOTEX 2020, is primarily being implemented using flattened riverbed pebbles. "Because of its size, this project opens up completely new options," says Modica, "I will also be using motifs from the animal kingdom, and incorporating a number of striking features into my landscape. The object to be created must be characterized by a strong relief surface and invite you to look at it from all sides during its creation. In this way, the viewer will be able to see how the 'landscape' continuously changes. Modica will thus be articulating a creative approach to selected forms of nature with a sense for mass, structure, rhythm and balance. The processing of natural materials until they fit perfectly into the totality of the installation, itself, preserves the strong energy of the materials occurring in nature – completely in tune with the spirit of ATMYSPHERE and the aspects of sustainability and well-being," he concludes.