Its borders are not defined in space or time. We do not know how to determine them, or how: they are irreducible to sovereignty or history, they are neither state nor national: they resemble the chalk circle that continues to be drawn and erased, that waves and winds, enterprises and inspirations expand or contract.
The Mediterranean according to Slavic writer Predrag Matvejevic. A complex sea, reflecting many histories and cultures. Cagliari-born designer Eleonora Todde seeks to express this intertwining of centuries-old events and traditions in a rug born from an idea that became a work (beautifully captured in Alessandro Galimberti's photographs), "Decoro Mediterraneo," successfully presented first at the Materia Design Festival in Catanzaro (a presence crowned with the event's top prize) and then in Naples, at the exhibition " 'O sciore cchiù felice (è 'o sciore senza radice)."
The exhibition in Naples
The exhibition in Naples, curated by journalist Paolo Casicci, brought together twelve artists and designers who, each with their own unique sensibility, interpreted the ever-evolving identity of the Mare Nostrum. Eleonora Todde explains that her project, also highly regarded in Naples, "is a sea that can be crossed with the gaze and the hands. A woven sea, woven into the living material of a carpet." A blue horizon in which to immerse oneself with the power of imagination. Embedded in the folds of a highly original pattern, embroidered human figures appear, almost hidden presences with an undecipherable destiny: abandoned to the pleasure of the waves or, conversely, lost at sea, victims of a tragic fate. The contribution of artisans Silvia Di Piazza and Giordana Manzi, who enriched the project, was invaluable.
The technique
"Decoro Mediterraneo," explains the designer, "is made with the tufting technique, mixing ten shades of blue merino wool and recycled polyester. It was created to reflect on the Mediterranean as a shared space, a territory that tells different stories depending on who observes it and who passes through it." The Cagliari-born artist studied experimental design and interior design at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts and the Milan Polytechnic. Her work is based on this concept "Loving design means loving the very act of creating: intellect, resourcefulness, irony, and the pursuit of wonder." Her research yields results. It's a pleasure to observe the sea in the delicate weave of a rug.
