Discovery
When this site was just a fantastical glimmer in my eye and my imagination, a valued friend suggested the inclusion of on•entropy. I met one of its two founders, Zoe Moskofoglou, while she was carefully installing marble snowflakes in an Athenian window installation as part of a collaboration with the iconic Greek fashion brand Zeus and Dione.
The two originators, Niki and Zoe have formidable academic backgrounds and their work is informed by intellect and contemplation.
Their marble atelier was established in 2009 both in Athens and London and endows the archetypical diachronic Greek stone with a diverse and unconventional portfolio of roles and functions. Their vision is to expose all marble’s cultural facets from the quarry of its original landscape to the historical influences that guide the trends of its design. The atelier encapsulates the contradiction between the strength and solidity that marble possesses to its fragile translucency.
The sisters work on architectural installations, create lights, tables, benches and large platters as well as small decorative.
Memory
The girls’ father was a consultant engineer in the marble quarries on different Aegean islands, where the girls would familiarize themselves with the smell, texture and sensation of their all white playground.
The girls’ father was a consultant engineer in the marble quarries on different Aegean islands, where the girls would familiarize themselves with the smell, texture and sensation of their all white playground
Zoe studied civil engineering in England and developed managerial skills in the construction industry. She then continued with a graduate degree in Sustainable Heritage. Niki’s background is architecture and phenomenology, which is the philosophical study of human consciousness. She is deeply interested in how the recipients of her designs interact with them. As sisters with shared values but disparate skills, they complement each other and constantly prompt themselves to reach beyond design stereotypes.
Narration
Niki and Zoe prefer Greek marble, white Dionysos, green Tinos and red from Evoia, and research Greek marble typologies extensively. Some project specifications, however, require marble quarried from elsewhere. Οn•entropy follows the stone on its multifaceted creative course, from its excavation to the local artistic workshops, where it is crafted. All the pieces are cut from a single marble slab, without joints and seams, with attention employed to exposing texture and the inherent minerals. The lines of the furniture produced, engage the natural contours of the rock.
Οn•entropy follows the stone on its multifaceted creative course, from its excavation to the local artistic workshops, where it is crafted
The idea, central to their practice, is entropy from the Greek word with “trope′”, meaning transformation. At first marble seems rigid and inelastic but with design and craftsmanship it can settle into itself and yield beautiful and elegant pieces.