Marlisa Marasco has turned two sea monsters from the Strait of Messina into wall mirrors. Her Scilla and Cariddi pieces, both wall mirrors, were presented at SaloneSatellite during Salone del Mobile Milano 2026.
The myth places Scylla and Charybdis in the narrow channel between the Calabrian and Sicilian coasts. Marasco, the designer behind the pair, gives each creature its own form, material mix, and way of hanging on a wall, turning these mirrors into distinct characters.
If Marasco’s clay forms caught your eye, Coco Brun’s Fragrant Puglia Ceramic Sculptures offer another take on Italian ceramic art, rooted in landscape rather than legend.
Inside the strait of messina mirrors
Scilla: a serpent crown and a watching eye
According to the designer, Scilla wears a crown of six hand-modeled, glazed ceramic serpent heads.
A secondary magnifying mirror recalls the creature’s eye. It works as the creature’s eye and catches a second, smaller reflection. A sponge built into the piece serves as a pin cushion.
Cariddi: a lamprey’s open mouth
Cariddi takes the shape of a lamprey’s gaping mouth. The mouth is outlined by three ceramic vortices, and the mirror’s inner ring is not described.
The designer describes three spiraling ceramic vortices as marine whirlpools. These forms also act as wall hooks, so the piece can carry accessories. Tactile textile details contrast the ceramic and glass planes.
For more glass and material experiments from the same design circuit, Iconic Designs from European Design Festivals highlights Murano lamps and other standouts from recent shows.
Both ceramic wall mirrors use overlapping glass planes set at different offsets. The viewer’s own reflection breaks into pieces across the surface, which is the effect the pair is built to produce.
Source: designboom.com
Frequently asked questions
What sea monsters did Marlisa Marasco turn into wall mirrors?
Marlisa Marasco turned Scilla and Cariddi, two sea monsters from the Strait of Messina, into wall mirrors. Both pieces were presented at SaloneSatellite during Salone del Mobile Milano 2026.
How many serpent heads are on Scilla’s ceramic crown?
Scilla wears a crown of six hand-modeled, glazed ceramic serpent heads, according to the designer. The crown is part of the mirror’s design, which also includes a secondary magnifying mirror that represents the creature’s eye.
What purpose do the ceramic vortices on Cariddi serve?
The three ceramic vortices that outline Cariddi’s lamprey-style mouth also act as wall hooks. This allows the piece to carry accessories.
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