"My dream is to tell what Burano was like in the early 20th century: a living island, where fishermen weaved nets, women worked bobbin lace on the tombolo, and children ran in the fields among the colorful houses," says Sergio Vidal.
Students fromITS Fitstic in Bologna visitedAtelier Martina Vidal and met Sergio Vidal and Marta Perissinotto: these weeks they are in the final prototyping phase, the project will be presented next April 20 at the M9 Museum in Mestre, at the conclusion of the second edition of the Upskill Venezia project, and certainly the company visit to Burano was decisive.
"We have purchased part of the rights to some of the Istituto Luce videos that tell the story of Burano: if I could, I would like to have our customers immerse themselves in that very Burano, so that they can get a sense of the context in which the art of lace was born, and so that they can perceive its historical and cultural value." This has always been Sergio Vidal's dream, and now with the Upskill Venice project he can finally try to realize it.
The design challenge conceived by the Upskill 4.0 team in collaboration with Martina and Sergio Vidal is precisely to help the company raise awareness among new generations about the importance of craftsmanship and the values that distinguish the ancient tradition of Burano lace.
What new ways can be implemented to pass on lace-making techniques to young aspiring artisans on a national and international scale?
The main purpose of the project is to safeguard and pass on the history and tradition of Burano lace through formats and tools that are in step with the times, respecting what are the new uses and market demands regarding the product.
Sergio Vidal is convinced that new technologies will be key to making these products known: "Virtual reality and augmented reality will be able to help us take our lace to other parts of the world, and into the future. It will be easier that way to show a person who lives in New York the wisdom of our lace makers."
There are about 40 lacemakers in Burano today-how can new generations be introduced to this profession? "It's not easy," Sergio admits, "we live in hectic times, so much work and total dedication is needed. That's why it becomes crucial for us to find the right ways to communicate the intrinsic artiginal value of each handiwork: the customer must have the full perception of how much craftsmanship there is in a lace."
