Inner Sanctum

Tabernacle, by Giacomo Moor and Emmemobili.

- Rosa Bertoli

We liked the idea of creating a new take on the tabernacle, the ornate cabinet in which the Eucharist is stored in Christian churches. Most are wrought in baroque gold and Gothic curves, so we called on Giacomo Moor to help us find a new aesthetic for the sacred container. ‘The request was unexpected, and rather surprising,’ says the Italian designer. ‘As an atheist, I was curious about the invitation to rethink an object so strictly linked to religion.’

Moor did his homework, noting that, throughout history, the tabernacle has taken different forms and offered different experiences, from the architectural and immersive to a box-like urn. Moor also got etymological. ‘Tabernacle comes from the Latin word taberna, meaning abode,’ he explains. In fact, he points out, in both Jewish and Christian religions, the tabernacle is a kind of mobile home for the divine. ‘To me, this meaning evokes an interaction with the object, a private, intimate space to explore one’s own spirituality.’

Based in Milan, Moor runs one of Italy’s youngest carpenters’ workshops (W*206), and is a rare example of an Italian creative who designs, builds and installs his own furniture. Since launching GM Studio in 2011, he has worked on private commissions and collaborated with local galleries such as Memphis’ Post Design and ProjectB. His interiors feature minimalist, made-to-measure compositions in wood; sleek and dynamic, they highlight the lightness of the material.