How to communicate a contemporary Venice? How does sustainability connect to craftsmanship and Venice? Homo Faber interviews the founders of Venezia da Vivere and AtelierAperti
They are the founders of communication and territorial promotion projects such as Venezia da Vivere, Venice Fashion Week and Atelier Aperti—and coordinators of the network of historic Venetian companies Alto Artigianato Venezia: Laura Scarpa and Lorenzo Cinotti have made their work a mission: to support Venetian talent and promote Venice as an ideal city in which to live and create.
For this reason, with their company they have developed various communication formats, first and foremost Venezia da Vivere, the web and social guide that promotes Venice’s creativity through events, exhibitions and major events such as the Biennale, Homo Faber and many others, bringing together and engaging an international community of designers, artisans, photographers and young creatives, who together develop new projects and combine traditional know-how with the contemporary.
Homo Faber has included them among the ambassadors of the Homo Faber Guide, and interviewed them:
www.homofaber.com/en/ambassador/ambassadors-laura-scarpa-lorenzo-cinotti
From the interview:
Lorenzo and Laura engage thousands of people daily on social media, particularly Instagram, promoting the value of craftsmanship and contributing to the sustainable development of Venice.
For them, artisans are not just artists and entrepreneurs: they are those who transform the city’s heritage, culture and history into something contemporary, relevant and new.
What does craftsmanship mean to you?
We think of craftsmanship as an element of uniqueness: a way to think and realize ideas. Artisanal works convey meaning and are something with which people can develop a relationship. Craftsmanship is also a way to keep production sustainable and to create works that last and can be passed on to others rather than being used for a short period.
How does it fit into your work and your life?
Venezia da Vivere’s commitment to Venetian artisans and their success is a mission that supports Venetian métiers d’art in dialogue with international designers, making them active participants in the global debate on sustainability and providing support in developing digital-related knowledge.
Do you work with artisans and how?
The work with artisans is on multiple levels: we coordinate the network of historic artisan companies Alto Artigianato Venezia with the goal of bringing craftsmanship and ancient working techniques into the future; Venice Fashion Week is a project that celebrates artisanal fashion, contemporary design and sustainability in Venice; Atelier Aperti is an event that promotes artisans and their crafts through digital communication and social media, working with local and international content creators.
An important theme of our activities is teaching digital communication to artisans, producing original and customized content for their promotion.
Do you have any stories about the artisans you have selected?
We like to bring artisans together with designers and we curate the process. We love the exchange of know-how that breaks the boundaries of both professions into something completely new.
This match was developed for Homo Faber in Città, for which the project A Dress For Venice was created and launched: designer Tiziano Guardini worked with the historic Tessitura Luigi Bevilacqua and the illustrations of artist Luigi R. Ciuffreda to create six contemporary kimonos, exhibiting them for a month in the same weaving mill on the Grand Canal in Venice, among original eighteenth-century looms and Jacquard machines.
Photos by Settimo Cannatella.
