Art & Design On the
Art & Design On the Waves Clockwise from left: the Bluegame BGX70; Sanlorenzo Alloy; Bluegame BGX60 – all created in partnership with Zuccon International Project Mies van der Rohe-style, Frank Lloyd Wright, Alvar Aalto or Philip Johnson-style. I think it is very important to take inspiration, because then you can understand that a yacht is not a sculpture. A yacht is a space to live.” He is also conscious about the relationship with the shipyard he is working with. “You have to understand that you have to take care of brand identity; you have to understand the history of the shipyard, the style of the brand. You are not creating your piece of art. You are creating a Sanlorenzo project.” It is certainly a combination that works and has led to groundbreaking results. “I thought Sanlorenzo was very focused on lifestyle and the concept of living onboard,” Bernardo says. This has allowed him to experiment with the norms of ship design, most notably with the symmetry whereby normally both port and starboard sides of the vessel are identical in terms of space and layout. “I always said that yachts are like churches. There is perfect symmetry. Now I can say that it is not true any more. Because we created asymmetric yachts – keeping the same comfort and even creating more opportunities onboard. With the asymmetric concept, we changed the balance onboard, creating new volumes, new square metres.” It’s a concept that has been well received. “We have four models in the fleet – the SL90, SL96, SL106 and SL120 – developed in the last four years, one new model a year,” Bernardo confirms, and it is also opening up new areas to explore, expanding from fibre-glass yachts to those built in steel and aluminium. “We are developing all of the Sanlorenzo fleet, from the 14m Bluegame up to 72m [yachts] in steel and aluminium: the range is huge, we are talking about 60 units from 24m to 73m every year.” You would think all of this would be timeconsuming enough, yet Bernardo is happy to delve into areas away from yachting that sate his creative curiosity. This manifests itself in the Zuccon offices, replete with a pool and games facilities to complement the work spaces, and in his time off. “When I am on holiday, I like to spend my time at antiques markets. I like to buy all kinds of things from all over the world. I love sculpture, paintings; I am completely focused on arts in any form,” he says. A disciple of versatile Milanese designer Ernesto Rogers, who could design everything from a spoon to a city, Bernardo is keen to spread his wings. “We have designed a sofa for the iconic brand Poltrona Frau. It was an amazing experience, because I think that in this way we can really feel our love for art, for design.” Though at the heart of all this is his love for all things aquatic. “I always try to create a link with the sea; even if I am restoring a flat in Rome, I try to bring the client a sort of sea experience,” he says. Zuccon International Project may head in many directions, but the waves will always rule. zucconinternationalproject.com ¬ “I always try to create a link with the sea; even if I am restoring a flat in Rome, I try to bring the client a sort of sea experience” PHOTOS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: MAURIZIO BALDI, COURTESY ZUCCON INTERNATIONAL PROJECT (2) 48 CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM
