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eal master craftsmen strive to transform everything they touch into gold, like ancient alchemists. But if the former have always tried, the latter have always succeeded
THE SECRET FORMULA OF DETAILS
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Every alchemist’s dream has always been to transform common metals into gold. Tales, legends and myth tell us about the mysterious laboratories of alchemists, half scientists and half wizards, where arcane transmutations took place, alongside much more predictable failures. They are depicted as underground chambers, filled with alembics, ampoules and retorts, and crammed with the esoteric imagery of planets and numbers and all the magical and evocative symbolism involved in the metamorphosis of matter. The transformation of lead into gold also had a spiritual significance, not only a material one: the real alchemist was, in his own way, on a quest for truth. His purpose was to elevate himself from the lowest level of knowledge (symbolised by lead) to the highest rank of wisdom and erudition, represented by the incorruptible nature of gold. Who are today’s alchemists? It would be banal and misleading to compare the alchemist’s fabled laboratory, with magic potions and secret treaties, to the workshop of a modern master craftsman. It would do justice to neither: alchemists were not artisans, and master craftsmen do not rely on magic, but on talent and experience. And yet, the most noble and characteristic attributes of ancient alchemy can be traced in the works of today’s greatest artisans. The first trait is that of ennoblement. The master craftsman’s hands, his personal touch and vision, elevate the materials and enhance their beauty. He gives a soul to the project, transforming a drawing into
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a product someone will love, desire, purchase and cherish. The level and value of the production is augmented by the high degree of manual skill, which restores its vocation of handmade artefact. The second trait is experimentation. I believe most laws and regulations prohibit the use of salamanders, dragons or the bizarre dyes that were the alchemist’s basic ingredients. But don’t luthiers still use a red resin called Dragon’s Blood? And aren’t the workshops of contemporary artisans the experimentation hubs for luxury goods? Only here can one find the talents capable of addressing the challenge of today’s top-level manufacturing industry, increasingly focused on customisation, in order to satisfy the most demanding consumers. Only the greatest craftsmen know how to perfectly interpret the intuitions of designers, and can follow their experimental creativity to develop something that is always new and unexpected. And, finally, their secrets. Hermetism was one of the features of alchemy, which traditionally employed codes and cryptic formulas; the deep symbolism which underlay alchemical experiments was both a language for initiates and a way to preserve the value of their discoveries. Likewise, real master craftsmen have their “trade secrets”. Isn’t it true, even in the modern age, that laboratories and workshops are places where the most sophisticated workmanship is passed down from one generation to the next, or from the master to the apprentice? And that a craft can never really be learnt from books and manuals, but that it has to be “stolen with the eyes”? Craftsmanship involves neither magic nor alchemy. It is a skill that requires creativity and passion, and a lifelong commitment. Yet, just like an alchemist, the modern master craftsman strives to turn everything he touches into gold: materials, projects, and ideas. From the lead of mass production to the gold of customisation, of a perfect execution, of a detail which always makes the difference, even on a larger scale. Alchemists have always tried; real master craftsmen have always succeeded.
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