Sara Ricciardi
Nicolò Morales

Designer Sara Ricciardi has been at work in Nicolò Morales’s ceramics studio for the better part of a week, immersing herself in the artisan’s medium, soaking up all she can. She has created what she calls an “alive experimental corner” and filled it with found materials, pictures, and sketches to inspire their collaboration. “At the end of each day we talk a lot, sharing visions and possibilities,” says Ricciardi. Much inspiration has come from the island of Sicily itself. Morales explains: “We’ve made several trips to discover the landscapes together – to the Etna volcano, for instance, to breathe in the images and the colours of the land.” They’ve also visited churches and climbed the famous decorated steps of Caltagirone, the ancient city of pottery where Morales was born and raised, where he trained as a master craftsman, and where he lives and works today.

“I think this project is strongly linked to the territory, to its techniques and materials,” he says. They have not come immediately to a final decision on exactly what they will create together, perhaps a stool. But neither is worried because they have forged a strong working relationship. They’ve started to finish each other’s sentences. “Sara has done something that too many designers don’t do anymore,” says Morales. “She’s become acquainted with artisanal techniques, she’s been curious, she has talked, listened, and there has been a continuous exchange.” Ricciardi sums it up with a list: “So, lots of discoveries, smiles, words, discussions – and cannoli.”

Sara Ricciardi

sararicciardi.org

Sara Ricciardi is a designer based in Milan whose work reflects a playful sensibility and often a love of colour. She completed her studies at NABA, the New Academy of Art in Milan, where she now teaches social design. She has also studied at the Pratt Institute in New York. Ricciardi co-founded La Lattoneria, a company that produces metal sheet furniture. Her recent work includes “Natura Morta,” a collection in which objects such as a U-shaped copper tube or a gleaming metal parabola display and elevate dried flowers and leaves. In collaboration with the city of Milan, she and her NABA students designed and installed an outdoor living room and garden in an apartment complex.

Nicolò Morales

ceramicmorales.com

Nicolò Morales is a master artisan and ceramics artist based in the Sicilian town of Caltagirone, which has been a center of pottery production for thousands of years. His pieces, which he shapes, fires and paints in his workshop, are sold to the public and held in private and public collections. He participates in many group and solo exhibitions. His work includes traditional majolica vases, plates and candelabra whose design can be traced back centuries, and historical figurines rendered in fine detail and human expression. But he also works with more modern themes, such as a whimsical collection he created with Ugo La Pietra which was exhibited at venues including the Venice Biennale.