MILAN, ITALY -- Stone has shaped human civilization for millennia, embodying permanence, memory and resilience. In an age of disposable design, it stands as a natural enduring material -- offering both circularity and sustainability. Fragmenta is a new design project -- rooted in the history and material legacy of craftsmanship -- by Nour Najem and Guilaine Elias curated by Gregory Gatserelia. This project bridges the realms of sustainability and contemporary design by inviting both established and emerging international designers, carefully selected by the Project Steering Committee to give new life to archives and fragments, transforming what was once discarded into objects of artistic and functional value. From broken slabs and offcuts to long-forgotten samples, each fragment becomes the beginning of a new story.
For its inaugural edition, Fragmenta is partnering up with Najem Group & co, one of Lebanon’s leading marble and stone manufacturers.“Fragmenta is about opportunity, transformation and the poetic awakening of stone, each fragment carrying its own silent story and marking the beginning of a new one through the creativity of the designers,” said Gregory Gatserelia, Fragmenta curator.
The project will culminate in a launch event in September 2025 at the Najem Group factory in Beirut, where artists and designers will unveil their pieces. This will be followed by a traveling exhibition Fragmenta: The Revival of Lost Forms across the city, aiming to position Fragmenta as a platform for reflection, dialogue and creative reuse within the regional and international design scene.
“Fragmenta is a one-of-a-kind project that honors both material and memory,” said Nour Najem and Guilaine Elias, Fragmenta founders. “It bridges identity, design, sustainability and social responsibility. It also blends the historical and modern aspects of Levantine artistry and cultivates stories rooted in craft, resilience and regeneration.” 

The first group of international designers featured in the inaugural edition of Fragmenta include: Ahmad Bazazo, Andrea Mancuso, Burau, Carlo & Mary Lynn Massoud, Editions Levantine, Ghaith & Jad, Georges Mohasseb from Studio Manda, Hannibal Srouji, Joy Herro, Karen Chekerdjian, Raed Abillama, Richard Yasmine, Roula Salamoun, Samer Bou Rjeily, Tara Jane Tabet and Tessa Sakhi.