T
hanks to Le Corbusier we now perceive
architecture as a skilful, splendid mani-
pulation of volumes and light. Other desig-
ners have likened architecture to the poten-
tial that a canvas provides to a painter or a
musical score offers a musician. All of these
artists and creatives play with the expressi-
veness, skill and sensitivity they derive from
their knowledge, technique and talent.
cerned. It is impossible to ignore the immense
versatility the material offers designers looking
to put the finishing touches to their projects.
This is neither trivial nor a form of snobbery:
what this versatility is really about is how each
individual project can be understood, as a sta-
ge-set, almost, where the vertical and horizon-
tal limits form canvases upon which emotions
can be explored and expressed.
If you think of architecture as a board upon
which a game is to be played, then it can cer-
tainly help change the look of the spaces we
inhabit and how we inhabit them, both in urban
and open environments, thanks to wise combi-
nations of materials, finishes and surfaces. Al-
most all materials are worthy of being included
on the architect’s palette, but it is ceramic that
wins out as far as colors and finishes are con-
GAME OF TONES
CERASPAÑA/40
12
Detail of the ceramic wall in Grao cemetery, Valencia, by Inés García Clarian.
