Danto

Alternative Artefacts Danto (A.a. Danto) is a new tile brand, launching in Milan in April 2024. It is brought to life by Danto, one of Japan’s oldest mass producers of tiles, based for 140 years on Awajishima, an island in the Seto Inland Sea. A dialogue between tiles and design, A.a. Danto balances the future with the past, layered with avant-garde creativity, experimental soil composition and meticulous production. The journey begins with Archaeology of Tiles, a visual excavation of the potential of tiles in daily life. The exhibition unfolds in 5VIE, an 8th century former residence in Milan, whose historic narrative is etched into the textures and tones, materials and layers of its spaces. Installations include A.a. Danto launch collections by Teruhiro Yanagihara Studio, creative directors of the new brand, and India Mahdavi, the first international collaborator. Fragments of the past are also spotlighted – from the forms and glazes of Awajishima’s original Minpei-yaki ceramics to time capsule tiles. We invite you to step into a new interior paradigm at 5VIE – and join A.a. Danto as it begins its tile journey.

• PROJECT CONCEPT

Tiles as objects of possibility. Tiles that leave a sensory imprint. Tiles connecting future and past, design and craftsmanship, Japan and the world. Alternative Artefacts Danto is a dialogue between tiles and contemporary design. The new brand, also known as A.a. Danto, explores the possibilities of tiles as interior objects, pushing the boundaries of material, form and function. It is the latest creative venture by Danto, one of Japan’s oldest mass producers of tiles, based since 1885 on the island of Awajishima in the Seto Inland Sea. A.a. Danto, creatively directed by Teruhiro Yanagihara Studio, aims to shift ideas behind the meaning of tiles and imagine a new interior paradigm. The brand plans to collaborate with a range of international designers, architects and artists, in order to create tiles from a fresh, contemporary perspective. Collaborators can explore the layers of Danto’s heritage – its skilled craftsmanship, born from the tradition of Minpei-yaki ceramics; experimental soil compositions that provide a spectrum of clay shades; and flexible variations of form due to its mass production capabilities. “A tile can completely shift the atmosphere of a space,” says Teruhiro Yanagihara. “Danto use natural materials that are fired, so have a similar feeling to ceramics. They’re soft, warm, crafted. We want to explore the potential for these tiles as an interior material.” A.a. Danto will also breathe fresh life into Awajishima. Here, in its two factories, the tile journey unfolds – with signature soil innovations and experimental technical processes filtered through the vision of creatives from around the world.

• Collection

Tiles

With respect for the creations that Danto has built up since 1885, these have been re-edited to design an archive or ‘standard of tiles’ that will continue to be used for the next one hundred years. It embodies the Danto brand philosophy which has remained a driving force in tile culture based on the lengthy time span of the relationship between tiles and people.

Editions

A provoking collection that rethinks the tile and explores its infinite possibilities together in conjunction with designers and artists from around the world. Taking on the baton of Danto's history of producing ceramics and pottery in the past, this brand creates a new value for tiles by evoking diverse scenes together with as yet unseen colour hues and shapes.