ALMA Art Uncovers the Hidden Stories Within Natural Stone

Published
12/08/2022 by

ALMA Art announces the launch of FINE STONE. Based in the Greater New York City area, ALMA is pioneering the art of elevating rare slabs of natural stone into fine stone using light mapping projection, connecting humanity with its collective stories hidden in nature. Launched by Jay Zelingold in 2021, ALMA is built upon the process and technique of artist Arin Jéda and has been developed and fine-tuned over a period of seven years.

Creating an ALMA artwork takes a team of about eight people on a laborious, yet gratifying, endeavor that spans four to six months. The artists undergo an intense discovery phase in which they scrutinize countless slabs of natural stone such as quartzite, marble, onyx, and granite in hopes of finding artistic scenes within the intricate veining. The discovered scene is then digitally extracted using various techniques to create a projection directly onto the stone, elevating it into a brilliant work of art.

"We go through thousands of stones until we find one with an art-scene potential and, even then, we need to go through tens, oftentimes hundreds of them, to find one with an actual, compelling image," says Jéda. "It's like a diamond – one in a million – and when we find one, we celebrate."

ALMA's works are the only in the world known to practice this technique – making them truly one-of-a-kind artworks. Currently, ALMA has 12 pieces available for sale, with several more in various stages of development. One of ALMA's most prominent displayed pieces is Bénédiction, a 104 by 60-inch slab of French Brèche de Vendôme marble, currently on display in Long Branch, New Jersey's SALT Steakhouse until 2026.

Their art installations have a broad appeal and capture themes that resonate strongly with some groups, while others are simply drawn in by the appeal of artwork that exists at the intersection of art, nature, and technology.

"This is untouched by human hands," says Zelingold. "It is the oldest art in the world, reimagined with the metaphysical properties of light – resulting in a masterpiece that can't possibly be replicated."

To learn more about ALMA's process and explore their exquisite art installations, please visit www.almaartstudio.com.