Innovative surfaces producer Cosentino has collaborated with Benjamin Hubert of LAYER on Raytrace, a visual installation located Ventura Centrale, a show during Milan Design Week that's housed in historical vaulted warehouses beneath Milan's Central Train Station. Raytrace uses Dekton, a surface created by Cosentino that blends qualities of glass and porcelain with quartz, as both inspiration and material in the project.

Taking direct inspiration from the material itself, Hubert took the ideas of water and architecture, which are central to the creation of Dekton, and built an architectural structure with caustic patterns to challenge the modernity of architecture with the timelessness of nature.

"The creation of Dekton is a highly technological process that emulates the metamorphic changes that naturally occur with stone," says Hubert, "The extraction of water using extreme heat and pressure throughout the manufacturing process is what makes Dekton a durable material most suited for architecture."

As visitors enter the installation, they will see a triangular passage composed of Dekton, which is created by similar processes that Earth uses but within hours rather than millions of years. As their shadows are cast on the surface, observers become part of the installation and are immersed in the caustic patterns simulating the feeling of being underwater. Two mirrors on either end of the installation reflect the images back, creating the illusion of infinite space. Visitors are encouraged to interact with the installation as they walk through the space.

Raytrace will be on view at Ventura Centrale from April 9 to 14.