Doppia Firma was conceived by the private non-profit institution Fondazione Cologni dei Mestieri d’Arte and developed with Living, the interiors, design and lifestyle magazine published by Corriere della Sera. The project focuses on bringing together design innovation and the tradition of master artisans by creating a special collection of unique objects. For the first time, there is representation of artisanship beyond Europe, from Asia (with a project crafted in Pakistan) and Latin America (with the works of Colombian artisans). These objects are created from the cross-fertilisation between design culture and a savoir-faire that expresses its region of origin.

This year the theme of Doppia Firma is “playfulness”, a subject that has long been explored in contemporary and applied arts, often inspiring original objects that break boundaries and conventions. The designer and artisan are encouraged to embrace playfulness and humour, irony and allusion, metaphor, jest and deliberate confusion. In a fundamental text on the topic, art historian Ernesto L Francalanci wrote: ‘The phenomenon of playfulness uncovers a broader constellation of references, which orbit around the concept of allusion, ranging from the notions of playing and joking to that of the various types of humour, and therefore of wit and comicality (…) playfulness is expressed above all by the power of contamination and transgressive fusion of contents related to knowledge and memory.’ Del Ludico. Dopo il Sorriso delle Avanguardie, 1982

For the 2023 edition, designers and artisans have constructed objects using various materials and techniques – ceramic, metal, mirror, wood, glass, straw, paper – creating a dynamic and engaging event for visitors. The project involves 24 creative partnerships with their works on display in the prestigious Palazzo Litta, Milan.

The creative partnerships featured at Doppia Firma 2023 are:

1. Meherunnisa Asad with Muhammad Ashfaq (Pakistan)
2. Atelier Biagetti with Ceramica Gatti (Italy)
3. Jean Blanchaert with Lucio Bubacco (Italy)
4. Giampiero Bodino with De Castelli (Italy)
5. Yvonne Brunner and Daniel Zeisner with Breitwieser Natural Stones (Austria)
6. Victor Cadene with Maison Thevenon (France)
7. Matteo Cibic Studio with Simone Crestani (Italy)
8. Philippe Cramer with Atelier B (Switzerland)
9. Adam Nathaniel Furman with Curiousa (UK)
10. Adriana Gómez Navarro with Yecid Robayo Ruiz (Switzerland/Colombia)
11. Pierre Gonalons with Craman-Lagarde (France)
12. Jaime Hayón with Lladró (Spain)
13. František Jungvirt with Ajeto Glass Studio (Czech Republic)
14. Helle Mardahl with Bjørn Friborg (Denmark)
15. Pierre Marie with Lison de Caunes (France)
16. Lucia Massari with Barbini Specchi Veneziani (Italy)
17. Julien Michaud with Emaux de Longwy (France)
18. Luca Nichetto with Lunardelli Venezia (Sweden/Italy)
19. Zoé Piter with Maximilien Pellet (France)
20. Supertoys Supertoys with StudioZAND (Netherlands)
21. Mario Trimarchi with Massimo Lunardon (Italy)
22. Chris Wolston with José Luis Álvarez (US/Colombia)

And as part of the Artijanus/Artijanas project:

23. Gianni Cinti with Elena Mulas (Italy)
24. Sonia Pedrazzini with Walter Usai (Italy)

A few of these creative couples were asked to design and produce works specifically for the Doppia Firma exhibition at Palazzo Litta. The collaborations between Biagetti and Gatti, Blanchaert and Bubacco, Bodino and De Castelli, Cibic Studio and Crestani, Massari and Barbini, Nichetto and Lunardelli Venezia have resulted in one-of-a kind objects that harmoniously combine design and craftsmanship.

Double Signature. A Dialogue between Design and Artisanal Excellence, the seventh edition of Doppia Firma, runs from 18-23 April 2023 in Milan.

doppiafirma.com