fendi: fatto a mano for the future

designers rowan mersh, nicola guerraz, and sandro del pistoia and fendi artisan federica antonelli create sculptures in person as part of the ‘fatto a mano for the future’ series by fendi

at milan design week 2011, fendi presents the first italian exhibition of their project, ‘fatto a mano for the future‘, featuring the performances of london-based designer rowan mersh, italian artist nicola guerraz, italian sculptor sandro del pistoia, and fendi artisan federica antonelli.

the live design series invites artists and designers to join a fendi craftsman in creating sculptural objects using discarded materials from the fendi production process, as a conceptual illustration of the interactions that take place between designers and artists, production and tradition, and creators and materials.

the installation by rowan mersh image © designboom

in the installation by rowan mersh, real-time heart rate data collected from antonelli is fed automatically into an adapted riveting machine that  punches holes into thin strips of leather. mersh then assembles the punctured scraps, using the holes to install them onto a steel framework. the shapes and density of the leather sculpture varies depending on the space between the holes in the leather, which is in turn dependent on the recorded heart rate.

rowan mersh assembling the punched leather strips

detail view image © designboom

view of the installation’s technical equipment: the computer feeds heart rate data into the modified riveting machine at left image © designboom

fendi artisan federica antonelli at work stitching leather onto the copper tubes uses in the piece by nicola guerraz image © designboom

nicola guerraz’s piece ‘3D selleria scribbles’ features five pieces of copper tubing, which are covered with leather that is stitched together by antonelli during the exhibition. guerraz then bends and transforms the pieces into ‘tangles’, inside of which will be planted a tillandsia air plant.

closer view image © designboom

nicola guerraz and federica antonelli work together to create the sculpture

closer view of guerraz stitching and handling the piece image © designboom

nicola guerraz at work on ‘3D selleria scribbles’

view of the modular sculpture created by sandro del pistoia image © designboom

in his sculpture, sandro del pistoia covers small wooden frameworks with leather, suggesting the foundation of fendi creations through a modular installation capable of growing in any number of directions.

mersh offers insight into his project, that also provides context for the ‘fatto a mano’ series as a whole: ‘the collaboration represents a manifestation of two apparent opposites: of heritage and future, of tradition and experimentation, of fashion and design, and emphasizes a deep affinity between creativity and functionality.‘

sandro del pistoia at work on the piece during the exhibition image © designboom

closer view of the materials image © designboom

video clip of the riveting machine punching the heart rhythm into leather in rowan mersh’s installation video © designboom