Why do you think that working with Italian craftsmen is an added value?
Meeting excellent Italian craftsmen, who can produce refined objects which are the result of long and complex procedures, was fundamental for my project. The thought of these extraordinary craftsmen, whose survival is threatened by the high costs of production, and today by the terrifying crisis following the pandemic, makes it increasingly clear to me that the dialogue between design and superior craftsmanship is the only chance of survival for both these worlds. The heritage with which Italy can compete in the manufacturing world is made up precisely of these resources, with ancient roots in the world of the arts, and of which Italian cities are the emblem. The term “industrycraft” is now in fashion: an association between industrial production and design on the one hand, and excellent craftsmanship on the other, to create products with an increasingly high degree of customization. This quality is in demand and it’s appreciated in particular abroad.
Which materials do you like to experiment with?
Many materials are interesting: I wanted to develop new projects according to the materials and the related techniques.
I had a long and fruitful experimentation with Marco and Massimo Vigo who work with cocciopesto, using it for floors and facings in some houses in Liguria and this way using this marvellous material for different purposes. Used in Roman times, it is a natural material made from finely crushed fragments of brick. My idea was to use it to make furnishing objects and jewellery, bringing in both the Vigo brothers of Campo Ligure and the Padoa bronze workshop in Milan for their great expertise in craftsmanship and enthusiasm in collaborating on this experimentation. Ferruccio Padoa loves challenges: he is able to obtain the strangest and most original shapes from a sheet of metal, thanks to his imagination and know-how. In his workshop he listens to and accepts the requests of his clients, shaping the material into forms that are always contemporary and poetic. I am currently developing a project of cutlery and tableware in silver and burnished brass, in which ceramic cameos, the work of the Milanese artist Letizia Cariello, will be inserted: the series of objects will be made by the silversmith Daniele Bonomi, specialised in jewellery and objects for the home and by the bronzesmith Padoa, a combination of art, design and craftsmanship. Putting different competences into contact and allowing them to collaborate, making virtuous partnerships so to speak, is the main aim of my work and what I love doing.
How important is the dialogue between the designer and the master craftsman?
It is fundamental for me; I discuss every project with the person who will be producing it, to make sure it is feasible but also to eliminate the superfluous elements which weaken the object. I always remember what Mies Van Der Rohe said, “less is more”. Simplicity is a difficult conquest and this is also my motto.
What is the work you are fondest of?
It is not easy to answer, but I would quote those objects which contain a new idea, for example the Helios candelabra made up of similar parts that can be put together in different ways and create an infinite chain; the Senato bag which is a shoulder-bag that can be transformed into a backpack by adjusting the straps; the Oglass necklace designed to hang glasses from and all the objects made from cocciopesto, furnishings and jewellery, that required lengthy experimentation with the Vigo brothers. This family of craftsmen from Liguria has preserved the ancient craft of working this material for three generations, with the intention of restoring dignity and beauty to the artistic heritage that the old masters have handed down to us.