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The ritual of matter
ture: it is simply culture. Just now I was mentioning the roots, the rituals and symbols. The visualisation of the roots, giving them a physical shape, is something that I can create or that an Indian or Puglian artist or craftsman can create. If, through the shape, the symbol guides me to a concept, there is an equally powerful energy that drives me back towards Transcendence. What is really important is that the symbol creates a state of profundity, which gives me access to conceptuality. This action inevitably leads me to the essence of design, to this form of awareness. In the effort to approach the essence we are paying tribute to design, offering it to Transcendence. So, as a designer, my position toward creativity is that it is a process, a journey. U.L.P. Your work, rich in objects and atmospheres that express the value of craftsmanship
I don’t identify with “Eastern craftsmanship” but with the concept of artisan oneness. My idea of oneness embraces the people in the East and in the West. And their hands, extraordinary tools linked to traditional manual skill, even in its more archaic forms, is held in high esteem by those who observe the relationship between design and artisan production. Could you tell us about how you relate to craftsmanship in general and why, in particular, you have come to identify yourself with that of the East?
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T. Consequentially to what I have just explained, I don’t identify with “Eastern craftsmanship”, but with the concept of an artisan oneness. My idea of oneness embraces the people in the East and in the West, and their hands, these extraordinary tools that stroke clay, that plane wood and, immediately after, caress it. I like to quote the wonderful letter that father Tonino Bello wrote to St. Joseph, the “Great Carpenter”. This prayer, a piece of poetry, contains the essence, the respect of the craftsman who uses his hands with sensitivity, because he knows he is hurting the material he is working on and for this reason he caresses it and uses ointments to soothe it. That’s why I love to work with people, I never work alone. I like to share this creative moment, to show my respect and at the same time catch the glimpse of the gift that emerges from this magic, from Transcendence. For this reason, I no longer want to make distinctions between the traditions of craftsmanship in the East and in the West. Instead, I want to feel the love that is common to all civilisations. U.L.P. Your works are full of symbolic values, suggestive of a spiritual wealth. How and through what processes can we comprehend this aspiration of yours? T. Let me try to describe the process I follow. We can imagine it as a circle, a harmony. Creativity is closely linked to inspiration, and inspiration is something that comes from above, from Transcendence, which is the starting point, the highest point in
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