In Venice, artisans from around the world shine on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore

Eight hundred creations, 400 craftsmen from all over the world. The casting of Homo Faber 2024, held at the Cini Foundation on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice, is breathtaking. This event, which celebrates its third edition, is produced by the Michelangelo Foundation and this year is directed by Luca Guadagnino, the director to whom we owe the cult film. Call Me by your name and who also founded his own interior architecture studio.

The technically demanding architect Niccolò Rosmarini not only designed the route and its decor, but also selected the objects, working from scratch from Vela tableware created by the restaurant to the graphic charter of the occasion and featuring Venetian chef Salvatore Sodano. The script is in four words. A journey of a lifetime or, The Voyage of Life. An adventure in ten stages, from birth to existence after death, where each stop is an opportunity to admire the genius of these experts in threads, wood, paper, textiles, ceramics, glass, metal, who, far from being frozen in tradition, know: how to embrace innovations and developments to modernize their subjects.

It is in the cloister of San Giorgio Monastery, towering majestically on the island, that this dive into the beautiful, the vibrant, the stunning begins. It was decorated with 60 embroidered panels, which were ordered from 20 specialized workshops spread across the planet. Inspired by the game of Goose revisited by artist Nigel Peake and a symbol of the unpredictability of our destinies that evolve according to the paths taken, they unveil a series of unique techniques developed in Mexico, Rwanda, Afghanistan, India…

After birth is the first step into Childhood, a room populated with wonderful animals, amazing toys, playful shapes, microscopic worlds like Hannah Lemon’s miniatures. To become an adult, you must climb a grand staircase surrounded by giant papier-mâché cypresses and magnolias…

Time flies and it’s worth celebrating. We find ourselves at a huge table made of mirrors, a giant lectern equal to the works on display, set in pink pleated fabrics, with a Veronese painting to block the view. A dream to admire bold, delicate, extraordinary creations. exclusive goldwork from multiple artichokes, creations by Christofli, Bernardo, timeless crystal services by Lobmeyr with unparalleled elegance, unexpected pieces like this 3D embroidered pastry by Youmengu. .. The eye no longer knows where to stop, because dishes, forks and glasses surprise, delight and whet the appetite. To quench this thirst for discovery, we continue our journey to the Shores of Heritage. Pierre Salagnac’s bronze pieces, Madoda Fanny’s smoked ceramics, Jian Yu’s mother of pearl… flourish under a sky of videos that pay homage to gesture and transmission.

Of course, this journey goes through the box of Love. The wings of flowers depict the romantic spirit, the enchanted enclosure of the “court”. They are made of paper designed by the Marianne Guély studio, fabric collected by Séverina Lartigue, plastic recovered by William Amor, wild grass covered in gold leaf by Sophie Blanc, precious stones as they emerge in Van’s workshop Cleef- to whom & Arpels, in wax, when they are sculpted by Mona Oren… They are an introduction to passion, a couple, a union that inspires many artisans from Azerbaijan, Chile, Canada, Georgia, USA, South Africa, Italy. , United Kingdom.

The intertwined shapes, the color red, the sensuality… are displayed under a ceiling decorated with 103 lamps made by The Backstudio x Panerai that resemble the mechanisms of a watch. Tick, tock, tock, tock… We must quickly embark on journeys where the poetic globes of British artist Leonardo Frigo echo the life map of enamel specialist Anne de la Forge. We also stop at an old printing workshop, newly renovated, where leather landscapes, wood reliefs, ceramic plants, metal animals rub shoulders… before falling into a dream.

Dreams take shape in Venice’s deepest pool, where many residents have learned to swim. Outlines in Azedine Alaa’s legendary knit dress worn by Grace Jones Dangerously yours emerge from the pool with a diving board hidden under a red velvet veil. Masks punctuate the darkness… There is magic in the air.

Come back in the day, to the cheerful sound of dialogues between designers and artisans, before penetrating to the other side, where the funeral urns are reimagined in marble, porcelain, wood… like boxes displayed in the window, and where there is a large paper and bamboo temple. Hsin Hsin Joss Paper Culture refers to Taiwanese paper offerings that are burned to accompany the deceased and bring prosperity and comfort wherever they may be. Proof that artistic mastery, always unique and unfairly given to the unique, is not on the ground. It lifts us up, plural, polyphonic, inviting us to walk the paths of beauty and hear the voice of its passionate ambassadors.

Homo Faber, until September 30, 2024, Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Venice. Practical information and ticket sales. homofaber.com: