Interview with Mario Viezzoli

COMEL AWARD 2025

Interview with Mario Viezzoli

by Dafne Crocella

Mario Viezzoli, born in Trieste, studied at the E. e U. Nordio State Art Institute. In 1970 he moved to Padua and began working as an industrial designer for home and office. He also worked in interior design, retail, and contract sectors. Passionate about photography and visual communication, he founded Vision s.r.l., Studio dell’Immagine, in 1981 as art director. He coordinated projects at Longato Arredamenti and won the Compasso d’Oro in 1979 and the Premio Caffetto in 2025.His visual works employ a mathematical and musical compositional method.

Your work Traforo 100, in addition to being selected among the 13 finalists of the XII edition of the COMEL Award, received a Special Mention from the Jury for its “original and metaphorical visual interpretation of a musical structure, rendered through a poetic spatial arrangement, both abstract and conceptual.” How did the idea for this work originate?

All my works are structured through a precise mathematical–musical compositional method (the V‑Modulus). By using “four notes” (four positions), it is possible to express them in a score—specifically a tetragram—thus allowing a translation of these positions into “sound,” much like each seashell expresses its own unique resonance. Traforo 100 is therefore the expression of a new code, not only visual but also sonic: a kind of universal language materialized through multiple variations that interpret, each time, the spirit, nuances, and contradictions of our contemporary world.

The work is indeed a metaphorical representation of music. Alongside the aluminium structure, there is a sort of musical score. Can you explain the origin of this musical writing?

I defined my visual language as “SEGNO UNICO” (1968), born from a study of high compositional potential. In the climate of intense creative experimentation of those years, the aim was to synthesize functionality and aesthetics as effectively as possible, thereby creating a model capable of generating an infinite number of compositional solutions.

The work is not merely a metaphorical representation: it embodies a method that makes the visual characteristics of each piece easily readable, consultable, and interpretable. This happens through a tetragram containing all the positions related to the composition, differentiated by “subject” (key), “background” (A, B, C), “rotation” (neumes), and “tonal heights” (the colour used—its scale—its transparency).

The result is a network of connections that determines the final outcome: a synopsis of each work, containing all its visual, dimensional, and emotional characteristics. In essence, a kind of organic and precise DNA, present in every piece, translatable and interpretable in a “sonic” way.

Traforo-100

Musical elements frequently recur in your work. What is your relationship with music in your personal background? Do you believe that seemingly different art forms can find common expressive ground? Do moments of encounter between different art forms appear in your artistic research?

No, I do not have a particular relationship with music—though in my case I would be inclined to call it “sound.” As for so‑called “art forms,” I believe they must be original and arise from a new idea, avoiding the “already seen,” and offering a different perspective on the reality around us.

I belong to a generation that witnessed moments of encounter between different art forms, often involving the audience—happenings. Today, at most, we speak of “installations,” mega‑structures, large exhibitions with long queues…

The work is created on a sheet of aluminium. What is your relationship with this metal? Do you use it frequently in your work? What qualities do you associate with it?

I have used aluminium in my industrial design work; in visual art I have used it occasionally. Aluminium attracts my attention because, while being lightweight and resistant to corrosion, it is easy to work with and offers a wide range of finishes. The final result gives it a precious and elegant quality.

Concentricità AL-100

Diagon AL-100

The work is titled Traforo 100. Does it belong to a series? Can you tell us more about it?

It is a three‑dimensional work and belongs to a group in which the V‑Modulus is central for its compositional potential rather than for chromatic or thematic values. In this case, the idea of “traforo” (laser cut technique) is used metaphorically through laser cutting. It is made of Dibond, a panel composed of two sheets of aluminium with a polyethylene core, which makes it lightweight.

Your works often feature recurring geometric forms, like a visual mantra dominated by angles, both in smaller pieces and in large installations. What do these figures express?

I would say that ALL my works revolve around the repetition of a single geometric form: the V‑Modulus, which I define as a “matrix.” Through the variations it assumes each time, it generates configurations, geometric forms, and ever‑changing meanings. It is a kind of exploration of visual perception, starting from a programmed design composed of countless variations and repetitions. A single “fixed” image obtained from a set of perfectly identical elements.

The principle underlying my work could be described as the expansion of a “single sign” into a space that incorporates different situations and hypotheses, strongly inspired by continuous repetition.

The works are synthetically divided into “types of intervention” (languages), forming seven main compositional motivations:

• Simple repetition

• Rescaling and progression

• Three‑dimensionality

• Deformation

• Intrusions

• Photography

• Words

A research and analysis of “dialectical opportunities,” very different from one another yet linked by a “minimum common denominator.”

Mosaico di percorsi

In your creative research, are there particular artists from the past to whom you feel connected?

There are many names, among which I like to recall Bruno Munari and Getulio Alviani. More generally, I have been inspired by all those movements that broke radically with tradition, seeking new expressive forms and overcoming existing aesthetic canons.

Can you tell us something about your future projects?

I hope to continue my research and to have opportunities to share my work through participation in exhibitions and events, both collective and—above all—solo. In this regard, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the “COMEL Award Vanna Migliorin 2025,” to the gracious Maria Gabriella Mazzola, and to the jury, who chose to select and host one of my works. My thanks also go to you, Dafne Crocella, for the time you have dedicated to me.

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