In our fast-paced, technology-driven world, the art of handcrafting reminds us of our cultural heritage and human creativity. Craftsmanship preserves old traditions while also embracing new ideas, allowing artisans to blend ancient techniques with modern designs. This combination not only keeps the art form alive but also ensures it remains relevant for future generations.

Today, we are honoured to sit down with Alberto Cavalli, the Executive Director of the Michelangelo Foundation, the Swiss institution behind a remarkable exhibition coming to Venice this autumn. Alberto will share his insights on preserving traditional craftsmanship, its evolution in the modern age, and what visitors can expect from the third edition of Homo Faber 2024: The Journey of Life. A truly immersive experience, the exhibition presents 800 handcrafted objects created by over 400 artisans from 50 different countries!

What skills do artisans need to thrive in today's evolving craft landscape, which includes new technologies and changing market demands?

What artisans need now is, in some ways, what they have always needed: talent, passion, creative vision, and determination. They require strong training so that their hands acquire the magical freedom to work with materials. They need an audacious attitude towards the possibilities of the materials themselves. Additionally, they must have a strong relational attitude to engage in dialogue with their clients or commissioners, just as artisans from the Renaissance did with theirs. These skills are part of human nature and the artisanal nature in particular. However, contemporary times also require something more.

An artisan is also an entrepreneur: they need to take care of their business, make their job viable, and understand the challenges of an international and globalised market. An artisan needs to communicate: being invisible, or having a digital presence that does not do justice to the artisan’s skills, can be risky. Additionally, an artisan has to be aware of issues like intellectual property and sustainable development. This is why, more than ever, we see that a sense of “community” is fundamental to building a safe environment for artisans to work, sell, and prosper. This is also why, in our education project called “Homo Faber Fellowship”, in addition to financing remunerated apprenticeships for talented young artisans, we offer them a one-month masterclass created for us by the Essec University in Paris, dedicated to the themes I listed above.

What do you believe are the biggest challenges facing artisans today, and how can they overcome them?

Sometimes technology is regarded as a threat. It can certainly wipe out many jobs, but we do believe that there is, and there will always be, something that human hands can do better than any machine: so, maybe, the real conflict (or challenge) is not the one between crafts and technology – technology, in the end, is an instrument. The real challenge is between crafts and ignorance: ignoring the value of an object made with love, care and attention, and imagining that the process of making something has no importance – these are the elements that threaten the acknowledgment of the value of the artisans’ work. A sort of nihilism, where everything is the same and nothing has value, because nothing has meaning. This is why we work to give face, value and visibility to the artisans: to invite everyone to consider their role and importance, and include artisanship in their choices, visions and lives.

How do you see the role of craftsmanship evolving in the context of sustainability and ethical practices?

Artisanal productions are very often conscious “per se”: craftspeople hate wasting materials and energy, their production is normally meant for small numbers, and their objects are not something that would end up in a landfill after a season – on the contrary, they are emotionally charged objects that you repair, cherish, transmit. On top of this, we are assisting an interesting movement of artisans who discover, or rediscover, techniques and materials with a strong connection with a more sustainable development: it’s also a way, for them, to affirm their voice in an original way. And this ethos that moves them can become an important comparative advantage, to drive clients towards choosing an artisanal object rather than something with an obscure past, and an even more obscure destiny.

How did you decide on the 11 key criteria for selecting featured artisans?

When we started working on our programs, we wanted to find a methodology that would allow us to have an objective, attentive view on this multifaceted field, to try to avoid any kind of arbitrary approach. So, for two years we dedicated time and energy to create a sort of matrix, or evaluation system: I worked on the research myself, together with Giuditta Comerci and Giovanna Marchello. We investigated the legislations related to crafts in 5 Countries: Italy, the UK, France, Japan and Germany.

We distilled the words that always recurred in these legislative texts, which by definition are the most legitimate and objective references: we listed them down, and then we re-defined them for the world of crafts and applied arts, trying to create for each of these terms a specific meaning. We tested the matrix on an international level, with the collaboration of talented artisans and experts; and we published the results in a book, “The Master’s touch”, that we presented in London and Paris. This evaluation system is also present on the Michelangelo Foundation’s website: we and our partners use it not to exclude, but to better understand the careers, the paths and the talents of the artisans who would like to collaborate with us.

Would you consider expanding the event to other culturally significant cities in the future?

Homo Faber was born in Venice, at the Giorgio Cini Foundation: and we believe that Venice is the perfect place for us. Venice is a hand-made city: it is powerful and fragile, like the fine crafts we champion. It’s a city with an international allure and a strong relevance for contemporary art and architecture. And it’s a symbol of beauty. At the same time, we will of course consider with interest other opportunities, to be present with our mission, values and projects in other cities: we already develop initiatives and exhibitions on an international scale.

What are some key lessons from the past editions of Homo Faber in terms of delivering the programme's mission?

That we have to be authentic, inclusive and courageous. Authenticity is key: if you want to touch the hearts of your visitors you have to maintain your promise, you have to deliver the best you can, you have to show them how precious, beautiful and meaningful craftsmanship is. Inclusive: we have to be able to speak to everyone, from architects to students, from the young generations to the lawmakers. Our language must be clear, poetic and must make everyone feel they are part of something, like a movement or a community. And courageous, because nothing important can be achieved without passion, and the visitors understand very well when they are in front of something new. Something that will change their minds.

Can you highlight a few standout handcrafted objects and artisans from this year's Homo Faber exhibition? Are there any emerging talents in particular that you have your eye on for the Young Ambassadors section of the programme?

It would be very difficult for me to answer these questions. Every object has been hand-picked, to match with our criteria of selection and to fit in one of the ten thematic spaces that constitute this edition of Homo Faber, dedicated to “The Journey of Life”. So it would be hard to highlight something: every object has a story, a meaning, a value that goes behind personal tastes. I can only invite everyone to come to Venice, and choose: there will be a “Homo Faber Award”, destined to the objects that will receive the most votes for the public. I prefer to admire our visitors’ preferences, rather than to give mine; I’m like an Italian “mamma”, for me they’re like children of mine! Same for the Young Ambassadors: we are proud of them, and we’re sure they will constitute the backbone of the crafts of the future.