Journalism, Chronicles and Reports,
the pragmatic side
of many theories
Italian crafting supremacy: Naples and the art of Piqué
Gold and mother-of-pearl in the workshops across the Royal Palace: a touch of humor, obelisks, baroque and chinoiserie, ancient ruins and everyday objects
Azzedine Alaïa: heritage is a matter of future – speaking to Carla Sozzani
«He was always focused on what he wanted to do. It was not a matter of seasons, not a matter of the last trend, he was Alaïa and Alaïa was the mood board»
Dries Van Noten and Ms Kehayoglou: carpets and bridges to bring diversities closer
Weaving vanishing landscapes with the rigor of a scientist and the lyricism of a poet, Alexandra Kehayoglou is known for her 1.44 kilometer long green carpet on the Dries Van Noten runway
Goppion — a Northern Italian network of craftsmen and co-makers
Whenever a high-value work is encased in a refined glass structure at a museum — freestanding, wall-standing, wall-mounted, or recessed — it is likely that Goppion is behind it
Retrofuturism in Lebanon: David/Nicolas’s own personal nostalgia in Milan
Architects duo takes references from a Daft Punk’s album. «That futurist sound which is how we work. We are searching for the aesthetic of Milan
Missing the Biennale – or not so much? The Essence of architecture lies on its crossable space
Architectural space is what makes a void into a place, the element that defines architecture is exactly what no exhibition can ever provide. Architect and writer Gianni Biondillo reconsiders
Farah Diba, the Empress: «with great power comes great responsibility»
«In the end, I decided to visit Niavaran Palace, almost as if this were an implicit tribute to my mother» – the Italian writer and architect Gianni Biondillo on history and legacy considerations
Past and future in Iran: can money become a religion again?
The decline of the ideological factions and installation of a metamodern consumer hedonism has even managed to take hold in the Persia of legends
Coromandel – Coco Chanel’s obsession: mirabilia and shades of black lacquer
«Lacquer is my element, it is deep and all-consuming. I’ve bought thirty-two screens and have given many away, but I still have enough» – Mademoiselle Chanel and the taste to please European collectors
The human fall – A creative talent should always be ready to die
Gods are never afraid to die, because they know that their life is less relevant than what they have done and said, of what they have been
The Paradigm Shift: modular and prefabricated constructions being the novel means of architecture
«Prefabrication is not a limit; it is a discipline». In conversation with Valentina Moretti of Italian based Studio More and Zoë and Jonathon Little of UK based Koto design studio
Rely solely on the skill of the artisan is perilous for a designer – Ronan Bouroullec
«When you see your work has a social impact, people continue to work and to survive». Ronan Bouroullec on how centering the artisan can lead to a sustainable industry
Italy and India: one material, different perspectives – building furniture from scrap wood
Although there’s now global awareness of sustainability and the aesthetics of recycling are accepted, the use of scraps has not yet developed into an industry
The maker of things that looks at objects but sees something completely different
Mrs. Billie Achilleos, a visionary: «I see things in things. A different form of the puppet show. Like the puppeteer can bring a puppet to life, I can create a character without having to move it»
David Morris — how one goldsmith tackled an impossible request
The Hexagon Cuff: the human mind envisioned it, technology made it possible, and a leap of faith was the catalyst. Time is not of the essence, prototyping is key
Ludus est nobis costanter industria – a contemporary bourgeois attitude with glaze coating
Ars Lenci’s Signorine dolls epitomize the style of Northern Italy Crafting combining clay from the region of Piedmont together with materials from Holland
King Chameleon. A conversation with Liu Bolin
«The chameleon changes colour to conform to the background as a form of self-protection. Humans are not animals because they cannot protect themselves»
The color of stones can’t be changed – Bruno and Iacopo Lastrucci and the last workshop
«You have a picture in your mind and in your eyes, but it might take four or five years to complete». Father and son and the search for stones for Florentine inlays
Luis Barragán. Architecture master Gio Ponti used to call legend
«My house is my refuge, an emotional piece of architecture», Luis liked to repeat – A sovereign architect, Barragán, whose reserve and closed walls, were praised by the Milanese Ponti.
Every time you open a water bottle, you release thousand of microplastics
Microplastic role and impact on human life. Drinking water, air, and DNA – where else will scientists find the microplastics, and what does it mean for us and the upcoming generations?
We need to care about Indian craftworkers – we need to see the other side of what we like
Haute Couture designer – Rahul Mishra, and the founder of Nest – Rebecca Van Bergen on providing artisans with a favorable working environment. Implementing in home work practices
A Mediterranean bromance — two places of worship and one dialogue that stands as fantasy
An impossible conversation between two main players of 20th-century architecture, Gio Ponti and Alvar Aalto, about their last projects, contrasting ideologies and designs
‘No excess’- The aesthetics of Michael Anastassiades
Between Cyprus and London, the Mediterranean was the cradle of civilization – so now is it a borderline space? Beyond politics, in architecture: the aesthetics of Michael Anastassiades
Les Lalannes — originality in an era of covers and revivals
For François and Claude Lalanne, a hippopotamus becomes a bathtub. Whether at an exhibition or an auction, this is how collectors’ obsessions start
Urban waste could be employed for the production of secondary raw materials
In Europe, the construction sector accounts for one-third of all EU waste, one-third of all water consumed, makes up for the largest share of the total EU final energy consumption
Are you ready to purchase less to save the environment? A talk with Reture
«Waste – failure of the design», says Nina Van Volkinburg while discussing the profile of the RETURE, a digital platform that upcycles the underused garments of global fashion designers
An ethical marketplace for artisans
Goodee – in conversation with the founding duo Byron and Dexter Peart. «How could those products expand to be better for the people and the progress?» – A digital B-Corp Certified marketplace
Is zero waste just a new marketing move or a properly transparent practice?
In conversation with Holly McQuillan, who discusses the misconception in the zero waste term and suggests new machinery and business models as alternatives in promoting the system
Following the Wool Route, from Biella to Hollywood
The Italian primacy in the processing of fabrics is also a matter of water – fresh, poor in minerals and calcium. Yarns and human paths in eastern Piedmont, the textile district
The lighting industry: a conversation about design, materials and the LED bulbs
New York artist Caroline Zimbalist centers her work around sustainable, biodegradable lighting options, thriving to infuse an excess-consumption-society with thoughtfulness
Environments to accommodate – in an age of isolation, we need escapism.
«When planning an area, you have to consider the diversity of people’s needs». In conversation with Inside Outside founder and designer, Petra Blaisse
Botanist and artist Patrick Blanc has designed more than 300 Vertical Gardens around the world
The world is home to nearly 400,000 known plant species, but less than ten percent have been assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature
Humanizing production – a retail experience with a person behind every product
«There is a gap between industry knowledge and the consumer knowing where the products come from and how they are made». In conversation with the Founder and Creative Director of NKDWare, Kirsi Enkovaara
How to craft a product that both serves and satisfies?
Sarah Kauffman. The American designer works with military parachutes and upcycled fabric scarps: «Parachutes have a story themselves which does not need to be manipulated»
MycoWorks’ Fine Mycelium – A scientific story through the lens of art
Biochemistry into fashion – twenty years of scientific work fostered a mushroom-based, alternative to fashion industry’s leather-problem. An exposition by CEO and founder Sophia Wang
AMF Necessories, the luxury items that act as a vehicle for a better future
AMF Necessories’ sustainable core strategy. «We create luxury items as a vehicle for giving people a better job, making the air cleaner, and contributing to a better future»
Dear Tea Pot: the line between the accidental and the purposeful
the Japanese ceramist explains how studying traditional pottery allowed him to move the craft forwards with his extrovert style, and discusses his recent collaboration with Loewe
The reawakening of the Japanese craft of Urushi
The artist talks about the process and the conservation of materials through a specific technique
Pierre Yovanovitch — pieces that exemplify the importance of space and volume
Guided by Pierre Cardin’s idea of space, Yovanovitch’s ardent perfectionism and attention to detail bely the interior’s surface wit and whimsicality. «The dress is a vase which the body follows»
Tiempo De Zafra — saving the Caribbean’s lost paradise by believing in crafting
Dominican Republic: Edgar Alejandro Garrido and Stephanie Bazzarae Rodrigues run a garment business using the discarded textiles of a country overwhelmed with rubbish.
Tacchini — using local materials to chart a path forward for sustainable furniture products
Acknowledging relations between the furniture sector and environmental standpoints, Tacchini Italia has been merging design with sustainability since its founding in 1967
Night Gallery, Los Angeles. Claire Tabouret: The Pull of the Sun
Tabouret primes her canvases with a layer of fluorescent acrylic paint. Painting is mostly about caring, and therefore, a radical — even political — act
Melanie Courbet — it’s good to be close to and to be challenged by the naysayer
«There is a subjective selection, whether that’s based on personality or design choices that I respond to». In conversation with Les Ateliers Courbet founder Melanie Courbet
Marcin Rusak – combining and confronting the dichotomy of the natural and the man-made
Marcin Rusak, artist and multidisciplinary designer, cultivates and observes objects, allowing them to decay rather than replacing them.
Brent Dzekciorius — marmoreal, the terrazzo of today
In its eight years of existence, the studio Dzek has put just two products on the market, a testament to the belief of its founder, Brent Dzekciorius, that there is merit in taking things slowly
Poetry of a Prototype – Editor’s Letter
It could be chronicle or literature – prototype stands for positive, resilient, operative people – as we are. Prototype is about challenging ourselves with experimental assets, it’s about turning the other cheek – we have cried enough – and face a brave new world.
What does Malhia Kent’s Eve Corrigan know about textiles?
The French textile designer and president of Malhia Kent discusses the art of her craft. «The technique is just a tool. I do something you’re not supposed to do with fabrics»
David Nicholls — loneliness is the driving force of “Sweet Sorrow”
Love and nostalgia may looks sweet, but they cut with ice and sharp blades. In conversation with David Nicholls on how he built a universal love story in his Sweet Sorrow
Studio Peregalli — between technology and harmony, the latter comes out on top
An artisan makes a mistake with their first samples, tending to replicate something they’ve done already. We don’t copy the past. We reinterpret it every time
Massimo Listri: the signs and testimonies of taste
There is no possible limit for Massimo Listri. The imagination must travel freely in an almost anarchical manner, to then rediscover a
unifying aesthetic sense in this incandescent magma
