At Spazio Lineapelle presented “Conciapelli. Heirs of a major art", the main exhibition of the Florentine event
From 16 to 18 September 2022, ARTIGIANATO E PALAZZO, the exhibition promoted by the Association Associazione Giardino Corsini, of which Sabina Corsini is the president, returns to the Giardino Corsini in Florence, together with Neri Torrigiani, creator and organizer of the exhibition which, every year, turns the spotlight on an original new selection by over 90 representatives of the highest artisan tradition, with particular focus on the emerging generations, selected from Italy and Europe.
The journey proposed by ARTIGIANATO E PALAZZO is unprecedented, and involves some of the main players in the artisan culture of yesterday and today -from craftsmen to art designers, following a route that winds through the Limonaie (orangeries) of the Renaissance Garden and a number of locations in the Palazzo Corsini which, animated by exhibitions, installations, workshops and events, offers an opportunity to reflect on the role of the craftsman in contemporary society.
“In the last twenty-eight years our commitment has always been and always will be aimed not only towards bringing the best craftsmen to the attention of a large public but above all to safeguard the independence of the small craft workshops which are the mainstay of their existence, the result of creative ingenuity and experimentation in the field ”, Sabrina Corsini and Neri Torrigiani declare, “because talking of “Made-in-Italy craftsman” above all means rejecting globalization and developing nearness”.
“The contemporaneity of craftsmenis not judged only on the technological innovation they bring, but also and above all by their being an example of “sustainable choices,” Sabina Corsini and Neri Torrigiani explain, “because in the face of socio-economic changes, craftsmen, with their low environmental impact work, highlight what we can “go back to” in order to respect the Earth and pollute less: safeguarding tradition is our challenge today for a better future”, they add.
Hence the reason why ARTIGIANATO E PALAZZO chose to dedicate the 2022 “Mostra Principe” (Main Exhibition) to the “Genuine Italian Vegetable-Tanned Leather Consortium” formed by a group of companies that, by telling their story, underline how an artisanal process can keep up with the times and the evolution of fashion.
“We are proud that the Consortium has accepted our invitation, seeing in ARTIGIANATO E PALAZZO the right eventfor sharing the value of their sustainable production with a wide and cross-section public and thus be able to build, in outlook, a more conscious change in purchasing choices”, says Neri Torrigiani.
MOSTRA PRINCIPE (Main Exhibition): “TANNERS. Heirs of a major art”.
GENUINE ITALIAN VEGETABLE-TANNED LEATHER CONSORTIUM
The “Mostra Principe” at this 28th edition is entitled “TANNERS. Heirs of a major art”. Set up in the Ballroom of the Palazzo Corsini, it is dedicated to the “Genuine Italian Vegetable-Tanned Leather Consortium” which, founded in 1994 by a small group of Tuscan tanners, today brings together 20 tanneries, producers of vegetable-tanned leather, operating in the provinces of Florence and Pisa, the only area in the world recognized for this particular type of high-quality processing which is deeply-rooted in Tuscan tradition.
“We are welcoming an excellence of the Tuscan region where leather processing has ancient origins and a prestigious present, as shown by the many production centres of high-end accessories for international brands based in this part of Tuscany“, says Sabina Corsini.
Visitors to ARTIGIANATO E PALAZZO will be able to learn the secrets of an ancient processing technique that, now as then, uses only wood extracts (Chestnut, Quebracho, Tara and Mimosa) in the slow vegetable tanning process that transforms rawhide into leather.
In Tuscany, vegetable tanning is a prodigious process, an alchemy of ingredients entrusted to the skilled hands of the tanners, who carefully blend natural tannins extracted from trees, the good local water and the passage of time, their greatest ally. It is a process that requires patience and experience, helped by technology while respecting tradition. The result is a natural leather that never goes out of fashion, aimed at those looking for high quality and a style that becomes personalized over time.
The public of ARTIGIANATO E PALAZZO will also have the chance to gain experience in the various types of leather and different processing techniques, acquiring a greater awareness of what it means to choose a high-quality natural leather.
“I thank Sabina Corsini and Neri Torrigiani for inviting us. Being at ARTIGIANATO E PALAZZO represents an important opportunity for sharing our values with the public, our potential final customers because producing sustainably is not enough since sustainability also includes conscious consumption”, declares Leonardo Volpi, President of the Consortium. “Pelle Conciata al Vegetale in Toscana is not simply a product, but a real philosophy of “luxury”: the luxury of a material obtained by means of a predominantly artisanal and manual process, a natural material produced entirely in Tuscany, with no de-localization, in facilities that comply with the law, fully guaranteeing the safety of workers and respecting environmental sustainability“, he adds.
