1. Where were you born and where are you from ?

We were born in two different small North Italian cities (Trento – close to Brenner border, and Biella – Piedmont), then we both moved to Milan and met in 2004.

2. What is your first memory connected to the art world ?

Roberto: a picture of Fountain by Marcel Duchamp, that I saw in a newspaper when I was 7 or 8. It’s still one of my favourite artist.

Rodolfo: my grandmother was a painter, I remember clearly the amazing smell of the oil paint in her studio.

3. Have you always worked in the art/design field ?

We studied Industrial Design at Politecnico di Milano and then we had different experiences, ranging from architecture to design and art. After spending time abroad we met again in Milano in 2015 and decided to start a project together.

4. What led you to the design creation ?

Roberto : The chance to generate some emotions/feelings to the people trough design;

Rodolfo : It started very early. Since I was a kid I used to create objects. It was getting older that I realized this a way for me to express my thoughts and convey meaning.

5. How would you describe your creative process and it influences ?

We observe, study and feel our context (place, people, professional or sociological communities) and try to do something connected with it.

6. Could you describe a typical day of your work ?

A dualism between theory and manufacturing, with an eye on communication.

7. Why did you choose the specific materials you work with ?

Sometimes we start from everyday materials and try to ennoble it by the process, sometimes we use and shape them with a personal will. Every project needs its own material to be successful.

8. What are the technical particularities of your creations ?

We rely on techniques passed on by the artisan heritage (wood, metal) mixed with experimentation and contemporary materials (resin, composite, led light).

9. What advices could you give to beginning artists who would like to create sculptural design works ?

Find a reason why you think that your works would have the right to became public and don’t look at the market, everyone can do that. Look at your inner self instead, that’s unique.

10. If your works had to belong to a design movement, in which one would you define it ?

It’s hard to say, probably some of our works are close to the ready made movement, others to the minimalism, others might be connected with the Arts and Crafts movement or some topics, as the symbolism, typical of the Post modern movement.

11. What designers have influenced you ?

Ettore Sottsass, Achille Castiglioni, Gino Sarfatti, Carlo Mollino, Angelo Mangiarotti, Dieter Rams and many others.

12. What contemporary designers do you appreciate ?

Formafantasma, Sebastian Errazuriz, Michael Anastassiades, Studio Drift, Max Lamb, Martino Gamper, Nendo, Giopato & Coombes, Jacopo Foggini, Vincenzo De Cotiis and many others

13. What contemporary artists (in any kind of art) have you been inspired by ?

Olafur Eliasson, Cerith Wyn Evans, Atelier Van Lieshout, Beniamino Servino, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Bernd e Hilla Becher, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Keith Jarretand many others.

14. If you had to summarize your creations in one word or sentence, what would it be ?

Roberto : « The substance of things hoped for » (Dante Alighieri, Divina Commedia)

Rodolfo : Meaning trough technique.

15. Is there anything you would like to add ?

We hope that this tragic situation (Covid19) will made us clearly understand that the old system (production, economic, politic) cannot guarantee any kind of future. We’re looking forward to see a new world rising and have a good feeling about it.

Proust Questionnaire with very short answers (one or a few words) :
(The Proust Questionnaire is a set of questions answered by the French writer Marcel Proust. Other historical figures who have answered confession albums are Oscar Wilde, Karl Marx, Arthur Conan Doyle, Stéphane Mallarmé, Paul Cézanne…)