An exhibition for the Hephaestus Project.
Bassano del Grappa, Palazzo Sturm, 27/05-30/06
This exhibition marks the beginning of a collaboration between D20ARTLAB and Copenhagen Business School within the Hephaestus Project. The goal of the project is to research, preserve, and at the same time innovate the craft sectors in order to provide a cutting-edge, creative, and sustainable economy based on cultural heritage. D20ARTLAB has been asked to participate by identifying art-based research methodologies and producing a series of artistic outputs to mark the various stages of the project.
The project
The researchers of the Hephaestus project aim to offer a truly innovative perspective on the complex interaction between craftsmanship, society, business, and technology. For this reason, they have chosen to explore artisanal ecosystems through an artistic lens.
The D20 ART LAB artistic collective has conducted the first exploration, culminating in this exhibition that presents artisanal ecosystems as an interaction between landscapes, people, and creative expressions – what we call Genius Loci.
D20 ART LAB takes us on a journey to capture the Genius Loci of four places in Europe – Dals Långed, Venice, Bornholm, and the Bassano del Grappa area – where craftsmanship is a distinctive component of local identity. The artists have immersed themselves in the unique atmosphere of these places, capturing images, voices, and objects that embody the myth, symbolism, and enchantment of everyday life.
Their investigation reveals Genius Loci as the “spirit” that synthesizes feelings, moods, and worldviews, guiding relationships, collaborations, and a sense of community. However, it also highlights the fluidity of this spirit, emphasizing how identity is often contested and controversial.
In line with the concept of research as the art of identification, rather than merely problem-solving, the artists invite us to challenge the ways in which we make sense of craftsmanship and to consider emerging controversies as sources of inspiration for project development. The exhibition thus urges us to explore the ecosystems of craftsmanship and appreciate their intricate relationship with the environment, culture, and society. It does not showcase the artisans themselves but rather the contexts that surround and inspire them in their creative process.
Therefore, this exhibition should be experienced as the beginning of a travel diary, consisting of spontaneously collected notes temporarily assembled to share the artist’s vision with researchers and artisan communities encountered in Hephaestus.
Fabrizio Panozzo, Ca’ Foscari University
Exhibition structure
Room 1 – Souvenirs
During our journey, we collected everyday objects, samples of, unfinished items, and images that bear witness to lived moments. The spirit is that of the sentimental traveler who collects relics, guided by curiosity and the desire to capture significant moments. The captions and images, presented in postcard format, tell small stories starting from common-use materials, documentations of community life, and artisanal artifacts that shape our memory of a place.
Room 2 Videography
During the journey, we reflected on the role of craftsmanship in various contexts, the differences and similarities of different ecosystems, and the role of nature, landscape, and traditions. Upon reviewing the visual notes we collected, we realized that these topics took shape and became increasingly apparent. We wanted to summarize the thoughts elaborated during the journey through statements that can also serve as questions to express the complexity of the theme and explore the ambiguity that characterizes our research path.
Room 3 – Voices
We crossed paths with a multitude of people directly or indirectly involved in the atmosphere of artisanal ecosystems. Each of them provided us with clues, food for thought, memories, nursery rhymes, songs, and anecdotes. In this room, we reproduce fragments of their voices, like an echo that still resonates in our memory.
Room 4 – RadioScapes
During the journey, we realized that the atmosphere is primarily created through the interaction of various factors: environment, traditions, nature, culture, but above all, people.
In this room, it seemed essential to directly involve the audience with an interactive device. For the spectator, manipulating the sounds collected during the journey becomes a metaphor for an elusive and ever-evolving process, similar to the atmosphere, which can transform and recombine with the actions of those who experience it.
Credits
ATMOSPHERES OF CRAFT
For the Hephaestus project
Concept development and execution
D20 ART LAB
Sergio Marchesini
Raffaella Rivi
Coordination
Exhibition design
Graphic design
Patrizio de Mattio
Singing
Jon Schmidt
Ida-Louise Stelter
Interactive sound devices
Thanks to
Dals Långed – Sweden
Ulrika Aneer
Cordula Bielenstein – Morich
Annika Bjork
Robert Curran
Emilie Eitera-Tardy
Barbro Erlandsson Bratt
Waldemar Fleetwood
Karl Hallberg
Helena Hansson
Anna Lena Ingemansson
Roger Karlsson
Chrisse Kuisma Karlsson
Heidi Keller
Funny Livdotter
Maria Lyungberg
Lisa Malm
Malin Palm
Elena Raviola
Vera Telemo
Bornholm – Denmark
Marta Gasparin
Maja Cornelia Ahnlund
Barbara Fremuth Clemmensen
Lars Christiansen
Heidi Hentze
Maron Hillesean
Sara Jeffries
Brian Johansen
Jesper Preuss Justesen
Viki Kert
Mathias Kjærgaard Knudsen
Dorthe Møller Paulsen
Edda Mosling Sletner
Nynne Rosenkrantz Christiansen
Nathalie von Rüti
Christina Schou Christensen
Michael Sterby
Cecilie Zingenberg
Venezia – Italy
Silvia Cacciatore
Luisa Conventi
Roberto Dei Rossi
Camilla Ferri
Eleonora Fuser
Helene Galante
Anne Mourier
Roberto Paladini
Giorgio Piani
Alberto Maria Quercia
Patrizio Roversi
Manuel Sossich
Massimiliano Smerghetto
Marta Sottoriva
Adele Stefanelli
Gianfranco Vianello
Bassano del Grappa (Italy)
Elena Agosti
Stefano Bertoncello Collanega
Silvana Bicego
Davide Borgo
Alessia Bosa
Beatrice Bresolin
Giulia Cominato
Giovanni Favero
Elda Fraccaro
Giovanna Garzotto
Luisanna Papini
Diego Poloniato
Flavio Polloniato
POL Paolo Polloniato
Giulio Polloniato
Elena Rausse
Davide Reginato
Serena Reginato
Lisa Scanagatta
Rosa Scapin
Nadir Stringa
Alessia Zanchetta
