Terrecotte M.I.T.A.L.
The Tradition of Impruneta terracotta merges with the unique design of Antonio Aricò to create an extraordinary collaboration with Dolce and Gabbana. This collaboration has made it possible to combine the traditional art of clay with the creative vision of Antonio Aricò, a renowned Italian designer. Aricò is known for his ability to merge contemporary aesthetics with cultural heritage, creating unique works of art that tell a story.
The terracotta tradition dates back centuries, with ancient manufacturing techniques that have been handed down from generation to generation. However, terracotta also offers a fertile space for innovation and the application of contemporary design principles. Artists and designers can reinterpret traditional forms, experiment with new processes and adopt a modern aesthetic approach to create unique terracotta works.
The combination of tradition and design in terracotta can manifest itself in different forms. For example, artisans may use traditional techniques to make terracotta vases, sculptures or tiles, but add contemporary design elements such as clean lines, minimalist details or innovative shapes. Also, the design can affect the functionality and use of the terracotta. For example, designers can create pots with integrated irrigation systems or develop new lighting solutions using the translucency of terracotta.
Tradition and design in terracotta feed on each other. Tradition provides a solid foundation of knowledge, techniques and aesthetic styles that can inspire and guide the creative process. At the same time, design offers the opportunity to transform terracotta into something new, to explore new aesthetic territories and to adapt terracotta to contemporary needs and trends.
In conclusion, terracotta offers fertile ground for a marriage between tradition and design. Traditional art and craftsmanship meet aesthetic and functional innovation to create terracotta works that preserve the essence of tradition, but with an eye to the future.
Tuscany and the "out of scale" dimensions of its terracotta vases have always represented for me one of the highest forms of craftsmanship in the whole of Italy. It is the combination of simplicity and sophistication of these techniques that I find extremely fascinating. In my research I immediately identified in the Antica Fornace Mariani that sense of pragmatism and attention to detail which is the very heart of "Italian-style creation".
Combining the art of knowing how to do things with a love of matter and processes, and knowing how to tell it is for me the very essence of Italian design. If we add to this the centennial history of the families and therefore of the people who are behind this passion, magic is born. Being welcomed by Fornace Mariani was for me like witnessing this magic: the simplicity of the origins and the very high culture of the humanistic project in the heart of the most bucolic and Renaissance Italy.
I will carry this experience with me and I hope that many will remain involved in the story of the Limonaia in Milan designed for the GEN D project by Dolce & Gabbana curated by Federica Sala and presented at the Design Week 2023 in Milan.
Antonio Aricò
