"The natural genesis of stone is particularly suitable as a production paradigm of mimicking art; examples are rock and coral formations, or the veins in marble, that are an expression of the forces of natural creation. Art materials bridge the chasm between idea and execution and impact on the working process; shaping the material reveals levels of meaning in the piece and, likewise, the specific form of the material offers opportunities for generating meaning. Imitating natural materials is much more than a replacement of the material or a demonstration of one's own artistic skills. The contributions in this book take a close look at the imitation of natural stone as artistic potential to express the interplay between natural and artificial material qualities"--Publisher's website.