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The enchanted setting of Homo Faber Event in the Venice lagoon
Fondazione Giorgio Cini on the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore
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“I will embroider the world,” declares Alicia Stanska as she pierces a
panel of black silk fabric with her needle, a gold metallic thread
swooping through the hook. Together with her partner, Tomasz Tarnowski,
an architect, Alicia has invented a new form of haute couture for
furniture, ceilings, walls and floors – even a hand-embroidered swimming
pool – using the Luneville embroidery technique from 17th-century
France. She embroiders golden stitches and timeless crystals onto black
silk fabric encased in transparent panels made of a secret material
described as “liquid glass,” creating the distinct
Stanska brand of
hand-embroidered architecture.
Embroidered Architecture
Alicia’s
father taught her to embroider by the age of six. Throughout her life,
it was a way of relaxation. At the age of 28, after burning through a
dozen different careers in the corporate world, she decided to bank on
her talent and live off her embroidery skills.
Seduced
by haute couture, Alicia learned the Luneville embroidery technique, a
high fashion essential. Instead of applying it to clothing, she was
fascinated by its potential for interior design. After meeting Tomasz,
they merged their different skills to create a daughter and a brand.
Today the Polish couple live and work together in Warsaw, and I, an American expat based in Venice, am
talking to them at the international exhibition entitled
"Next of Europe"
at the massive
Homo Faber Event on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, an event that was organized by the Michelangelo
Foundation, headquartered in Geneva.
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Alicia Stanska from Warsaw, Poland embroidering her gold metallic thread at the Artisan at Work live demonstration in Next of EuropeCurated by Jean Blanchaert & Stefano Boeri |
Island of San Giorgio Maggiore
Going
behind the gates of the Giorgio Cini Foundation has always filled me
with a sense of awe. Full of history and mystery, I can almost feel the
wise phantoms of the past brush past me in the grand corridors of the
former Benedictine monastery, an oasis of knowledge in the Venice
lagoon. It is the ideal setting for a universal event that aims to craft
a more human future.
Occupied
since Roman times, the island was christened San Giorgio Maggiore
between the eighth and the ninth centuries when the first church
dedicated to St. George was built -- the monastery was founded in AD 982.
Throughout the centuries, it has hosted kings, queens, and heads of
state – twice the G7 Summit was held here. Cosimo de’ Medici, the
powerful banker credited for kickstarting the Renaissance, stayed on San
Giorgio when he was exiled from Florence in 1433.
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Normally closed to the public, during Homo Faber visitors get a
rare opportunity to wander outdoors on the island - Totem Garden
Photo: Ginevra Formentini ©Michelangelo Foundation |
In
1560, Andrea Palladio, Renaissance architect extraordinaire, came on
the scene and left his distinct imprint on the island. He got busy and
built the new Refectory for which Veronese painted his masterpiece
Wedding at Cana
(1563), designed the second Cloister, renovated and enlarged the
monastery, and replaced the existing Gothic church with the majestic
landmark we know today.
After Napoleon suppressed the monastery
and swiped most of its loot, the once-glorious compound became a
military garrison and sunk into disrepair – that is, until Count
Vittorio Cini, another powerful entrepreneur, blew the dust off
Palladio’s original plans and transformed it into the Fondazione Giorgio
Cini, an international cultural center, to honor his son, Giorgio, who
was killed in a plane crash. Like Cosimo de’ Medici before him, Cini
used his great wealth to bring humanism back to mankind.
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Master works by "Japanese Living Treasures,"
artisans honored and subsidized by the Japanese government, on show in
12 Stone Garden in the Palladio Refectory, the facsimile of Veronese's Wedding at Cana as a backdrop
(the original was nabbed by Napoleon and is now in the Louvre).
Curated by Naoto Fukasawa & Tokugo Uchida
Photo: Cat Bauer |
The Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship
The
Homo Faber Event first arrived in Venice in 2018 on the shoulders of
the
Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship, an
international non-profit organization which was founded by two
present-day enlightened entrepreneurs – Johann Rupert, CEO of
Richemont,
the third-largest luxury company in the world with maisons such as
Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Montblanc -- and
Franco Cologni, founder of
Fondazione Cologni dei Mestieri d'Arte. Both
patrons think it’s time for a new Renaissance. “It’s humanity’s
creativity, individuality, strong character and perspectives that truly
endure over centuries and grow into heritage,” said Rupert.
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The fine details of luxury: From Cartier to Hermès to Jaeger-LeCoultre, 15 top maisons reveal the secrets of their crafts with live demonstrations in Genealogies of Ornament, curated by Judith Clark |
The
founding purpose of the Cologni Foundation is to “accomplish a new
Renaissance of artistic crafts and rescue artisans from the threat of
extinction.” Its initiatives focus on training the next generation of
craftsmakers, which includes providing internships to talented
beginners. Selecting San Giorgio Maggiore to host an event dedicated to a
more human, inclusive and sustainable future was strategic. Cologni
explains: “We chose Venice for this exhibition not only because it is a
bastion of culture and a place of unequaled beauty, but also because
Venice is today and has always been a European hub for exchange and
international connection.”
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Blossoming Beauty, a fairy tale garden where 10 floral artists display their arrangements in Murano glass vases
they designed themselves, brought to life by the master glassblowers of Venini
Magical soundtrack by French composer Christian Holl
4 Elements video by filmmaker Olivier Brunet
Curated by Michelangelo Foundation, Sylvain Roca & Venini
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Homo Faber Event Celebrates the Cultural Dialogue Between Europe and Japan
The Homo Faber Event cranks up the magic and
transforms the island of San Giorgio Maggiore into a wonderland where
artisans live in a world pulsing with dedicated people who spin straw
into gold with their bare hands. Cushioned by aristocratic cloisters,
meandering gardens and cypress trees, this year’s edition sprawls over
4,000 square meters, galvanizing the ancient monastery with contemporary
craftsmanship. Master artisans of Japan and Europe, considered “living
treasures,” are celebrated in 15 different exhibitions organized by 22
curators and designers featuring 850 works by 400 artisans from 43
countries. You can feel the human energy crackling in the air.
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Baldassarre Longhena designed this library for the monastery between 1641 and 1680, livened up by the white gold of Porcelain VirtuosityCurated by David Caméo, Frédéric Bodet |
The event is also a chance to glimpse venues rarely open to the
public. There is porcelain in the 17th century Longhena Library, and
Japanese Living Treasures in the Palladio Refectory. International
artisans work in the Tapestry Room next door to custom-designed Venini
vases spilling with floral arrangements. There are artisans from luxury
houses at work in the former nautical school, and everyday objects and
handcrafted games in the Artisan tea room. There is even a dramatic
installation by American stage director Robert Wilson in the Gandini
indoor swimming pool, inspired by his 1993 production of Madame Butterfly at the Paris Opera, complete with original props. From porcelain to
paper, flowers to glass, ceramics to leather, gems to wood, it seems
that whatever talented human beings can get their hands on they can turn
into objects of beauty.
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Wearing two hats as both a Young Ambassador & designer, Juraj Horňák plays the ancient Game of Ur with visitors in The Artisan: a crafted tea room where every object tells a story Curated by Tapiwa Matsinde |
Young Ambassadors
We are not expected to navigate this monumental compound on our own. Young Ambassadors are scattered throughout the grounds and inside every exhibition, eager to
share their expertise — I love them. One hundred dynamic young people, screened and selected from
the best European schools of arts, crafts, and design, were flown into
Venice, fully trained, given food, shelter, a generous scholarship, sneakers from Venetian Heritage company Golden Goose,
and some very cool uniforms from Makers Unite, an agency of refugee designers based in the
Netherlands. The Young Ambassadors are grateful to be exactly where they
are, mingling with the masters, and can answer any question about the
crafts on display as if they made it themselves.
From Young Ambassador to Designer
Juraj Horňák is a rising star. A Slovakian designer and craftsman
working on his PhD in architecture, during his studies he started Lebo Mädveď (Beargames) with two classmates, a project that designs
educational games.
Juraj was a Young Ambassador in 2018 and challenged himself: “I want to exhibit my
work at the next Homo Faber.” He sent a one-minute motivational video
along with his application describing his design for the Game of Ur,
played in ancient Mesopotamia and believed to predict the player’s
destiny. When informed he had been accepted as both a Young Ambassador and an
artisan, Juraj scrambled to create two deluxe versions of the game.
After playing a cutthroat round with him in The Artisan tea room, I
predict his destiny: “You will become powerful like a lion.”
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Young Ambassadors on the 17th-century Longhena Monumental staircase
inside the Giorgio Cini Foundation
Homo Faber Event 2022 |
Alberto Cavalli
“What is beautiful — and authentic — will always make you fall in love,“
says chief curator Alberto Cavalli, the powerhouse driving Homo Faber.
Also the executive director of the Michelangelo Foundation and director
general of the Cologni Foundation, Cavalli is heralded by stakeholders
for his ability to keep the massive event running seamlessly, as well as
his uncanny ability to materialize at critical junctures. Synchronicity is how we manage to meet for a coffee — I happened to
arrive at a time when he had 17 minutes to spare.
Cavalli is a vibrant speaker whose passion for craftsmanship is
contagious. “We need to form a common language. Take the word
‘sustainable.’ Is a world without dreams sustainable? Or a world without
diversity? Can we sustain a world dominated by banality?”
One of Cavalli’s most important missions is to create a new generation
of craftsmakers, which means empowering young people and providing
opportunities for them to meet master artisans at the top of their game.
“Why do we make things with our hands? Handwork can offer dreams to
younger generations. When I was growing up, the future was full of
promises. These days, the future can be full of threats. What kind of
legacy are we leaving? Craftsmanship gives youth a clear, authentic way
of expressing themselves.”
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Alberto Cavalli at the Opening Ceremony 9th April Homo Faber Event 2022
speaking in "Lo Squero" auditorium, a one-time boat repair workshop
with a spectacular wall of glass that looks on the Venice lagoon
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I ask Cavalli how he measures the success of Homo Faber. “Three ways.
First, by ticket sales. We are asking people to visit an event in the
Venice lagoon, reachable only by boat. For the inaugural edition in
2018, from September 14th to 30th, we had 62,500 visitors from all over
the world. This year, opening weekend was sold out.
“Second, by comments from the participants – the curators, the master
artisans, the rising stars – who genuinely appreciate interacting with
like-minded people. What is so important for me about craft is the
humanity – in the faces, the dreams, the expectations, the talent, the
ability – also in the stubbornness of the master craftsman.
“And third, by the attendees themselves. Sometimes I take off my
identification and mingle with the visitors, who are everyone from
tourists to collectors to designers, and listen to the sparkle in their
voices.
“We need to ask ourselves: do we want things that are just things? Or do
we want objects that express who we are, what we are. When you surround
yourself with goods made by hand, rather than being a passive consumer,
you become an active participant. We were born to consciously change
the world around us.”
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WAITING with Peace and Darkness - American theater director Robert Wilson
transforms the Gandini indoor swimming pool into a stage set
inspired by his 1993 production of Madame Butterfly at the Paris Opera,
complete with original props
Photo: Alessandra Chemollo ©Michelangelo Foundation |
In Città and The Homo Faber Guide
In Città
During the Homo Faber Event, in addition to the main exhibition on San
Giorgio Maggiore, visitors could create self-guided tours using In Città, a bounty of handcrafted experiences tucked throughout the
labyrinth of Venice. All the artisans and craftsmakers in town threw
open their doors and invited the public to witness Venetians in action
-- the engine that keeps the city afloat. From shoemakers to costume
designers, mask makers to glass blowers, eyeglass designers to local
food and wine -- In Città gave visitors the golden opportunity to meet
the actual people who live and work in Venice.
Homo Faber Guide
The Michelangelo Foundation has also created the Homo Faber Guide, an ever-evolving digital platform dedicated to
craftsmanship that explores featured towns in Europe and beyond. From
Greece to Norway, Portugal to Romania, the guide leads curious travelers
through a world of artisans and their masterpieces in every corner of
the continent, all year round. And with the recent addition of Japan,
South Korea and Singapore, the Homo Faber network welcomes artisans from
another continent – Asia.
The guide lets you view familiar cities through new eyes by following an
itinerary that turns a spotlight on the world of high-quality crafts.
Visit galleries and shops that sell singular objects. Explore workshops,
ateliers and museums that embrace a human touch. Enjoy conversations
and experiences of substance. The Homo Faber Guide aims to connect all
the players in the world of fine craftsmanship on an international scale – from rising stars, to
seasoned artisans, to astute consumers, and everyone along the way.
Homo Faber is Latin for “man, the maker.” The ultimate aim of the
Michelangelo Foundation is nothing less than to encourage the growth of a
new cultural movement, one which would bring with it both social and
economic rewards, most notably increased employment opportunities for
artisans.
The Homo Faber Event hopes to return to the island of San Giorgio
Maggiore in two years' time, weaving itself into the fabric of Venice as
a regular biennale, and helping the dream of a more human future become
reality.
Relive the
Homo Faber Event 2022 edition.
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The Art of Writing -
the joy of finding the handcrafted Montblanc nib
that fits my style
with the help of a pen artisan
Photo: Cat Bauer
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Ciao from Venezia,
Cat Bauer
Venetian Cat - The Venice Blog
