Dall’alto: tessuto in nastrino di nappa, 1979; tenda in pelle, 1979; “Geometria libera”, stuoia in cotone, ciniglia, rame, 1999.
In constant evolution since the first
primitive interlacing of leaves or branches, weaving is still being perfected with respect to early yarn production and the fine tuning of the loom. The canvas -a special structure (weave) used in textiles which makes them more compact, softer and finer because the threads of the warp and weft are held as close together as possible- is the simple technique which has been used by the textile company Bronzini since it was first established, at the start of the 1930s, by Gegia, who was joined right from the start by his daughter Marisa, in contact with the rural tradition of the Venetian countryside, rapidly organizing themselves into a production entity. Likewise the weaving of Bronzini has evolved in a variety of areas, the first experiments of which were called for to support the home products range and have lead to the use of yarns spun from broom, hemp, and nettles, but also from hand-spun cotton, wool and silk, and from the use of corn husks in the creation of tapestries. The natural yarns, as well as viscose, are used to create large panels, conceived as one-off pieces woven with the “primitive spolinato” technique which has been used since the beginnings of time in tapestry creation. The decorative themes that can be created with this technique go from simple stripes in the direction of the warp or in diagonal, to more complex designs, always based on abstract geometry. Alongside these creations they also experiment with the use of unusual materials such as copper and leather: since 1986 they have been creating textiles based on a cotton warp with chromatic effects that differ according to the colour of the warp, woven from copper (natural, pink or plated) and according to the yarn which is then chosen for the weft against the copper warp. This weave exalts the lightreflecting properties of the copper and
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retains its malleability enabling it to be volumetrically modelled. Leather is cut in a spiral pattern in order to obtain long, thin strips, in this way reducing the joins and making it easier to weave; this ribbon is then woven together with wool, cotton and chenille, but the most commonly used combination is with both weft and warp in leather. Different typologies of strips of cloth are used in the same way. Relationships with manufacturers and designers in the furniture and interior decoration world are very important in the realization of new textiles for curtains and draperies or upholstery, rugs, tablecloths and bedspreads. This is the area in which Bronzini continues to make the most of the unique characteristics of hand-weaving. Gegia Bronzini (1894 Milan, 1976 Venice) and Marisa Bronzini (1920 Montenero-LI) 1920 started weaving together in 1932, in Marocco (MS), after having learned the techniques from a peasant-woman. Gegia started up a weaving school which he ran alongside the cultivation and spinning of natural fibres in order to control the entire production cycle of his textiles. In 1936 came the first important exhibition of Bronzini’s work at the Sansovino Loggetta in Venice, followed by numerous others (among them the Triennial from the 6th in 1936, through the 15th in 1973), at which they received several awards. After a brief stay in Carpendo, they established themselves in Cantù where they founded the hand-weaving textile house Gegia Bronzini that is still active today, specialising above all in furnishing textiles. The first shop opened in Venice in 1936, followed by shops in Cortina and Milan, which ceased trading at the end of the 1970s, after which Marisa started experimenting with the use of unusual yarns and the creation of poetic textiles in which she often incorporated fragments of natural materials (such as stone).