“Made in Italy”: certification enclosed with products which increasingly has all the connotations of an algebraic formula, the value of a promotional slogan, the attraction of a consolidated model of production indissolubly linked with location.
This term, so archaic and yet so relevant today, is however associated with indispensable qualities in modern production, such as striving for innovation and sustainability, essential aspects of the process and life cycle of any product.
A landmark in the industry, since 1961 Iris Ceramica has combined the high qualitative and aesthetic value of Italian ceramics with cutting-edge technology: an experience of “made in Italy” with strong roots in the country’s tradition of craftsmanship.

Acquisition of know-how and development of the productive sector is in fact the result of characteristics such as manual skill and repetition , but above all imagination: American sociologist Richard Sennett (New York University professor and advisor to president Obama) speaks of the modern figure of the craftsman, “with the craftsmanship to continue improving ”.

The creative process and the procedure of technological refinement still have roots in traditional knowledge, as clearly revealed in the 70 paintings in the exhibition at Villa Pisani di Stra (Venice) “Nobiltà del Lavoro. Arti e Mestieri nella pittura veneta tra 800 e 900” (The nobility of work: Arts and crafts in nineteenth and twentieth century Venetian painting, open until November 4).
Everyday reality as depicted in the “ancient crafts” of the Venetian hinterland reveal aspects of extraordinary relevance: the fundamental moral and social value of work; the creative variety of the Italian tradition; the ability to regenerate oneself over the years and come back strengthened by experience and continuity.

Marco Privato

Captions

01_Formafantasma, Botanica collection, objects made of natural polymers, presented by Marco Petroni, Plart Foundation, 2011. Photo: Luisa Zanzani

02_Salone del Mobile, Milan 2012 - Zona Ventura Lambrate. Photo: Nicole Marnati

03_Iris Ceramica, Le Pietre del Mulino collection

04_Urban project for the unification of Italy, Turin. Design: Italo Lupi, Ico Migliore, Mara Servetto. Photo: Mattia Boero

05_Iris Ceramica, Colordesign collection

06_Palazzo Dalla Rosa Prati, Strada al Duomo, Parma

07_Il barbiere rusticano (The rustic barber), Oreste da Molin (Piove di Sacco, Padua, 1856-1921) – Oil on canvas, 88x113 cm – Private collection. Images from the exhibition Nobiltà del Lavoro. Arti e Mestieri nella Pittura Veneta tra 800 e 900 (The nobility of work: Arts and crafts in nineteenth and twentieth century Venetian painting) at National Museum of Villa Pisani (Stra – Venice) until November 4. Munus Organisation.

08_La scuola dei merletti a Burano (The lacemaking school in Burano) (1905), Pieretto Bianco (Pietro Bortoluzzi) (Trieste 1875-Bologna 1937) – Oil on canvas, 55.5x75.5 cm – Private collection. Images from the exhibition The nobility of work: Arts and crafts in nineteenth and twentieth century Venetian painting at National Museum of Villa Pisani (Stra – Venice) until November 4. Munus Organisation.

09_Iris Ceramica, Crystal Rock collection

10_Iris Ceramica, Opera collection