“PETROLEUM, A NATURAL REMEDY”: although it may sound like a provocation, it really is not! From time immemorial, petroleum has been one of the natural substances most useful to man. The Sumerians, Assyrians and Babylonians took bitumen, in its pure state, from large surface deposits and used it to waterproof boats, and to cover water channels, roads and roofs. Petroleum, a sacred oil for the Egyptians, was one of the substances used in the preparation of mummies. It was the Arab alchemists, eight centuries after the birth of Christ, who perfected the first petroleum distillation techniques. Since the renaissance, various texts refer to the use of petroleum as a medicine. When applied to wounds it accelerated the healing process and if rubbed on the skin it gave relief from rheumatic pains.

Arbos and the artist, Enrico Minato, have invented an absolutely original use for this “paper” and have created everyday objects with a minimalist yet refined and strongly evocative design.