Craftsmanship is a world in danger of extinction, overwhelmed by mass production (including the production of beautiful things), also because in the 21st century, if a craftsman has a good market response, he switches to serial production as soon as he can, for obvious pecuniary interest. ; but the pincer that holds the craftsmanship is also another, that is the competition of the artisan-like junk, of low quality and at a bargain price. To help save the crafts that disappear, the Fabiter project, initiated and promoted by the Memorabilia association and professionals active in Rome and Lazio in the world of design, has mapped the real artisan shops that still exist in the capital, and a workshop in which a selection of artisans was associated with designers to create a collection of souvenirs. The result will be on display from tomorrow, 29 September, at Colli Independent Art Gallery in via di Monserrato 103, partner of the initiative. A program of talks, hosted by the Primoli Foundation, completes the initiative which will continue until mid-October.
“Italian design would not have become world excellence without the special nourishment of craftsmanship, which helped to define the unique and unrepeatable formula created in Italy” explain the three founders of the Memorabilia association that gave birth to Fabiter, Bianca Putotto, Ludovica Di Camillo and Flavia Rossi. “As professionals in Rome and Lazio, we work in a territory with a strong and rooted manufacturing tradition, still visible in the historic centers of our region, starting with that of the capital, where thousands of historic shops are resisting the manufacturing crisis”.
To exemplify the initiative, the production on display includes a bar cabinet in recycled wood, a “pocket tray” table in travertine, a luminous sculpture, leather pins, chiseled table mirrors and table games in metal and wood.
Interviewed by La Stampa, the art critic Vittorio Sgarbi not only reveals that he has always been involved in craftsmanship, but blesses the Roman initiative by saying that “craftsmanship is the only true form of art created as 500 years ago, that is, in the workshop and with the craftsmanship of the craftsman “. It is a strong affirmation, which Sgarbi argues as follows: “There are still artists who work with their hands, of course, but the inspiration of art for a hundred years has been conceptual, detached from matter. To defend the tradition of bygone centuries and of manual production in the workshop remain the artisans who make violins or furniture. As mayor in Sicily, I mobilized to protect local bread production and other specific things of the territory “.
Sgarbi acknowledges that the struggle may seem a little against windmills: “Even today you can make an illuminated book, if you want, but in three hundred copies, so the market is necessarily tiny. Even today there are those who want the tortellini made in the shop, rather than the industrial ones, but the production will inevitably be limited. The artisans are survivors ”. But is there any hope then? Can these survivors be helped by initiatives like Fabiter? The attempt is also to expand the market of artisanal products, helping millions of tourists to distinguish quality from paccottìglia… Sgarbi’s opinion is positive, or at least hopeful: “Yes, it can be a valid idea”.