On the occasion of the 2017 edition of the European Artistic Craft Days and of the Salone del Mobile di Milano, the Cologni Foundation for the Métiers d’Art, Living Corriere della Sera and the Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship are pleased to present the second edition of Doppia Firma, an unprecedented format which was met with critical acclaim at the Salone del Mobile 2016.
The project brings together design innovation and the tradition of great Italian artisanship by creating a unique collection (15 works) of original, refined objects. The objects carry two signatures – hence the name Doppia Firma – as each is the creative outcome of an exchange between a designer and a remarkably skilled craftsman. The aim is to give birth to new artworks that arise from a cross-fertilisation of a design culture open to contemporary vision and a savoir-faire that is the genuine expression of a territorial uniqueness.
The new edition of Doppia Firma is presented on the occasion of the European Artistic Crafts Days, an international festival showcasing top-level savoir-faire. For the first time, it features a dialogue between European designers and the best Italian artisans. Imbuing the project with an international dimension has given life to unexpected works with widely different cultural codes.
The materials and techniques animating the designers’ vision and the artisans’ extraordinary skills range from silver to paper and ceramics, from wood to metal and commesso fiorentino (semi-precious stone inlay), from lacquer to mosaic and mirrors, from fabrics to glass. The project enable craftspeople to explore new realms of expression while offering designers an opportunity to be inspired by new techniques, materials and practices.
The objects, actual narrative icons especially created for the Salone del Mobile, are on display in a very special venue, one of the most prestigious settings of Milan’s art and culture: the Galleria d’Arte Moderna (Modern Art Gallery), a scenic jewel box displaying a unique collection of 19th-century treasures, which exceptionally hosts this project in the magnificent Sala da Ballo and Sala del Parnaso. Each object is showcased along with the name of both authors as well as photographs and videos illustrating each step of the creation process.
Thanks to the promoters’ expertise in the fields of design and high-end craftsmanship, 15 extraordinary creative partnerships have been forged. Each pair of designers and artisans has collaborated for the first time, sharing a common pathway and exchanging ideas and savoir-faire with openness, mutual respect and a desire to establish deep, fertile communication. In the name of excellence.
2017 Doppia Firma’s Designers and Artisans:
Nika Zupanc (Slovenia) and De Vecchi Milano 1935 (silver)
Uros Mihic (Serbia) and Caterina Crepax (paper)
Elisa Strozyk (Germany) and BottegaNove (ceramics)
Dimitri Bähler (
Switzerland) and
Maurizio Tittarelli Rubboli (ceramics)
Sara Ricciardi (Italy) and Nicolò Morales (ceramics)
Pierre Marie (France) and Leonardo Scarpelli, from Scarpelli Mosaici (commesso fiorentino, semi-precious stone inlay)
Raw-Edges (
United Kingdom) and
Carlo Apollo (wood)
Lex Pott (
The Netherlands) and
HABITO – Giuseppe Rivadossi Officina (wood)
Oskar Zieta (Poland) and La Fucina di Efesto (metal)
Jan Plecháč & Henry Wielgus (
Czech Republic) and
Gianluca Pacchioni (metal)
Sebastian Herkner (Germany) and Lucio Doro, from Alchymia (
lacquer)
Felix Muhrhofer (Austria) and Fabrizio Travisanutto (mosaic)
Cristina Celestino (Italy) and Antique Mirror (mirrors)
Federico Pepe (Italy) and Marta Cucchia, from Atelier Giuditta Brozzetti (textiles)
Emmanuel Babled (Portugal/France) and Simone Crestani (glass)
Alessandra Salaris, a well-known interior stylist, coordinated the project; Studio Salaris arranged the GAM exhibition staging.
Laila Pozzo, a Milanese photographer specialising in portraits and in pictures of top-quality crafts locations, documented the project and its creators
Special opening times during the European Artistic Crafts Days
Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 April 2017, 9 a.m. - 5.30 p.m.
Monday closed
Tuesday 4 April, 9 a.m. - 5.30 p.m.
From Wednesday 5 to Sunday 9 April, 9 a.m. - 7 p.m.
www.michelangelofoundation.org
www.doppiafirma.com
