Marcello Panza
Pasquale De Palma

The successful collaboration between Marcello Panza and Pasquale De Palma came about thanks to the Made in Cloister Foundation, which wanted to bring together a designer and a craftsman to work on a project inspired by the great Neapolitan tradition of porcelain. Based in Naples, the Foundation carries out socially-aware urban regeneration projects which focus on the revival of craftsmanship through the interaction between local masters, artists and international designers. Marcello Panza has been working in Aversa since 1983. His company, “studiominimo”, handles a wide range of design projects from interiors to furniture, craftsmanship to art. Matter and form are fundamental to his design language, which he realises in collaboration with artisans.

Pasquale De Palma is a second generation Neapolitan master of ceramics and porcelain. Since he was a child he has worked alongside his father, who founded the Capodimonte Porcellane d’Arte company in 1930. Their production is characterised by the quality of the materials, the accuracy of the details, and the delicacy of the colours. Their objects are decorated entirely by hand, according to the tradition of the old school of Capodimonte. By bringing together their knowledge and culture in this project, both designer and artisan have learned “the attention and patience that are necessary to follow a path with unknown outcomes; the ability to work together to manage the difficulties that arise from realising a simple idea; the need to be open to finding the right solution; and the pleasure of error, which generates new and unexpected directions.”