Craftsmanship with Effect VIII edition

Sound Artisans. The art of making matter vibrate Exhibition dedicated to the construction of musical instruments

Music will be the protagonist of the 39th edition of Effetto Venezia, “Music from the world – Sounds of land and sea” in Livorno. And this year, music will also inspire Craftsmanship at Effetto, the exhibition organized by Fondazione Livorno in collaboration with Oma (Observatory of Artisan Crafts) to promote the best interpreters of local artistic craftsmanship, often known also nationally and internationally.

In the “Sala Simonini” of the former District 2, along the Scali Finocchietti, the sound artisans who with patience, manual skills, creativity, and professionalism contribute to promoting tradition, innovation, and culture, have come together to create an alternative and original space dedicated to the construction of musical instruments.

Give way to imagination and the venue has turned into a story that will explain how the art of producing sounds has evolved and the tricks of the trade to make very different and sometimes unusual materials vibrate.

A kind of immersion among instruments from all eras and types, cult objects, equipment, enriched by video projections, to reconstruct the history and mutation of the techniques of luthiers – and not only – and their relationship with Livorno.

Fondazione Livorno, in addition to confirming its role as a sponsor of Effetto Venezia, in this eighth edition of Craftsmanship at Effetto has asked the artisans themselves to give a demonstration of their skill to allow us to discover an ancient, often unknown and extraordinary trade, made of notes, vibrations, and absolute knowledge of the material. The best local artisans in the sector will be present.

The Participants

• Ivano Colombini – Luthier
• David D’Alesio – Clarinets and wind instruments
• Antonio Ghezzani – Creative luthier
• Francesco Landucci – Experimental sound archaeology

and also:

• Giovanni Balzaretti – Opera masks
• Desirée Costanzo – Costumes and set designs
• Michele Lezza – 8mmezzo digitalization and old films
• Francesca Lombardi – Costumes and set designs

In addition to the artisans who build musical instruments (Colombini, D’Alesio, Ghezzani, Landucci), there will be: Giovanni Balzaretti who will exhibit his leather masks created especially for opera stages, Desirée Costanzo and Francesca Lombardi costumers, tailors, set designers, who have curated the setup and Michele Lezza from 8mmezzo, who with his restoration and digitalization work, carried out to give new life to old super8 films, will show us the use of music in old and new recording instruments.

Fondazione Livorno has given life to this event, now in its eighth edition and included in the Effetto Venezia program, to enhance the artisans of the territory.

The objective of promoting artistic craftsmanship and the protection of the historical heritage of artisan crafts is shared with OMA, an association chaired by lawyer Luciano Barsotti and an instrumental subject of Fondazione CR Firenze which supports it along with other banking foundations, including Fondazione Livorno.

Founded in 2010, the association collaborates with Italian and international institutions, carries out design and research activities, publishes the semestral magazine HANDS to tell the stories of crafts, techniques, and artisan activities that play a primary role in the Made in Italy.