‘moulding tradition’ by formafantasma
photo by luisa zanzani

for their MA project at the design academy eindhoven, italian designers andrea trimarchi and
simone farresin (formafantasma) focused on the african inspired crafts of caltagirone, sicily. the town
is well known for its ceramics especially the ‘teste di moro’: 17th century vases displaying faces of
native africans or arabs to reflect the era when arab-african people conquered sicily. a similar situation
is emerging now with an influx of arab-african immigrants in sicily. as the designers point out, ‘65% of
italians believe that immigrants are "a danger for our culture and our religion"’, and a similar attitude
toward change is reflected in the region’s contemporary craft.

‘moulding tradition’ aims to be ‘a statement on the ephemeral concept of tradition and shows the
contradictions of a decadent culture’. its goal is to explore a craft tradition that is reflective of history and
the contexts of the present day. this is explored through a series of objects that mix different materials
and techniques and reference a variety of historical and contemporary icons. many elements are affixed
to the ceramics with rubber bands and ribbons. the pieces all tell the story of a actual living person and
their voyage from their native land to sicily.

http://www.formafantasma.com


‘moulding tradition’ by formafantasma
photo by luisa zanzani


‘moulding tradition’ by formafantasma
photo by luisa zanzani


‘moulding tradition’ big bowl by formafantasma
photo by luisa zanzani


‘moulding tradition’ big bowl by formafantasma
photo by luisa zanzani


‘moulding tradition’ little bowl by formafantasma
photo by luisa zanzani


‘moulding tradition’ flask by formafantasma
photo by luisa zanzani


‘moulding tradition’ moor vase by formafantasma
photo by luisa zanzani


‘moulding tradition’ wine bottle by formafantasma
photo by luisa zanzani


‘moulding tradition’ making of by formafantasma
photo by luisa zanzani


‘moulding tradition’ making of by formafantasma
photo by luisa zanzani


‘moulding tradition’ making of by formafantasma
photo by luisa zanzani


‘moulding tradition’ making of by formafantasma
photo by luisa zanzani


‘moulding tradition’ making of by formafantasma
photo by luisa zanzani


‘moulding tradition’ making of by formafantasma
photo by luisa zanzani