Cristian Murgioni

Cristian Murgioni has been working as a stonemason for three generations, having been able to innovate product lines and creative processes thanks to his stubbornness, curiosity and passion for the artisan traditions, which he considers the utmost expression of inhabited territories. Year after year, his production grows through the experimentation of pure and geometric shapes and the use of modern and computerised machines (such as the 3D printer to draw models and replicate them on different scales), without ever ditching his precious chisel to complete and refine the identity brand on each artifact. When Cristian plans and designs an object, he develops it through a thorough vision which covers how the product can be made thanks to his mastery of the material, the result of years of hard work between attempts and failures.

Methods and Techniques

Cristian uses only Sardinian stone: granite in shades of yellow, gray and pink, basalt from the Sedilo quarries and biancone marble from Orosei. The choice is made according to the object to be created, for example for outdoor use, hard and weather-resistant materials are needed. The main challenge in working the stone lies in the hardness of the material or in some of its defects, such as for example the natural veins and holes of marble compared to granite, which has a much smoother surface.
Each creation is carved out of unique stone blocks, this does not allow the use of waste and recycled materials due to the agglomerates losing their naturalness if being treated with chemicals.
The harder the stone, the greater the wear and tear of the cutting edge of the machine, for this reason the softer material trachyte offers less difficulty in this phase.
The finishes are all done by hand with the techniques of bush hammering and chiseling, but also allow for the use of machines such as sandblasting.
The lack of knowledge of all these factors is the main deficiency of many ideas that prove to be unattainable even if harmonious and perfect on paper.
Technical characteristics of the machines: the cutting machine is a five-axis cutter.
Dimensions of stone slabs: 3.30 x 2.10 x 34 h. It is possible to insert pieces up to 80 cm high for other types of processing. However, there are no fixed limits for the measurements of the stone because the single piece (defects and fractures) or the project to be carried out must be evaluated.