michele de lucchi’s handsewn wooden sculptures honor the imperfection of manual craft

‘legni cuciti’ exhibition by michele de lucchi in milan

‘legni cuciti’ or ‘sewn woods’ is the latest exhibition at the antonia jannone art gallery in milan, featuring new works by architect and designer michele de lucchi. eighteen drawing compositions and eleven never-before-seen sculptures are now on display to narrate de lucchi’s fascination with the imperfection and value of handmade craft. 

inspired by the traditional sewing method of inuit canoes, this exhibition moves away from technical conventions and explores the potential of sewing wood together. the resulting pieces evoke free experimentation on raw material and celebrate ‘defect’ and ‘asymmetry’ as new forms of the imaginary. ‘sewing the pieces of wood together leaves me free to work more intuitively, to treat the material in its original form and to build objects where the handmade value is evident,’ shares de lucchi. 

celebrating geometric imperfection and asymmetry

on experimenting with his new technique, the designer states:‘sewing wood seems like a counterintuitive idea. convention dictates that this material be glued, interlocked, and inlaid through a mechanical process to obtain perfectly matching surfaces. my new technique requires no geometric perfection. I can instead tightly connect differently shaped parts, with no clear point of contact, and create a harmonious and solid composition.’

‘moreover, merging wood with iron wire further punctuates that imperfect aesthetic – reminding me of ancient buildings, erected through artisanal techniques that will always express the joy of hand-making,’ concludes de lucchi. the ‘legni cuciti’ exhibition will run between december 1, 2021, and february 12, 2022, at the antonia jannona disegni di architettura gallery. 15:30 to 19:30 monday through saturday. 

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project info: 

name: leigni cuciti / sewn woods

artist: michele de lucchi

location: antonia jannone disegni di architettura, milan

photography: luca rotondo

sketches: michele de lucchi