The project “Black on White” by Federica Cinquepalmi, student of the two-year course in Product Design and Planning with Ceramic and Innovative Materials at ISIA Faenza, is among the six finalists of the twelfth edition of the Rometti Prize, selected from over 110 projects by a jury of experts chaired by the great designer Ugo La Pietra. The six young creatives will live the experience of the internship at Rometti, from 22 to 26 July 2024, where they will give concrete shape to their ideas, side by side with the expert manufacturing workers. The awards ceremony will then be held in October with the final vote and the top three will also receive a cash prize. For everyone there is also the possibility, which has materialized several times in previous editions, that their project is put into production by the manufacturer, thus becoming an important springboard into the world of work, given the constant collaborations of the manufacturer with designers and companies in the sector. caliber of Ugo La Pietra, Chantal Thomass, Roberto Capucci, Cucinelli, Kenzo, Roche Bobois.
A spokesperson for ISIA Faenza states: “”Nero su bianco” is a candle holder that collects thoughts, ideal for a special dinner, dedicated not only to food and company, but also to sharing one’s personal sphere. At the center of this ritual is a special object destined to become the guardian of one’s deepest thoughts: before sitting down at the table, each of those present receives a sheet of paper and a pen. This is the moment to put down on paper what passes through our heads: thoughts, hopes, dreams or desires. Everyone is free to write down what they feel, without judgment. Once the writing is finished, the sheets will be carefully rolled up and inserted into the holes of the candle holder, to offer the thoughts to the fire that will guard them. It is a simple but profound gesture, a way to make shared intimacy tangible, to celebrate the beauty of vulnerability. Ceramics therefore becomes the companion of this convivial, spiritual and at the same time playful moment in which to try to open up and share. The project was born within the framework of the Course in Ceramic Product Design II of Prof. Sabrina Sguanci following the theme “Virtuous Ceramics. Objects that catalyze beneficial behaviors for the human species”.
The Rometti Prize, an international ceramic design competition promoted by the historic Umbrian manufacturer, and reserved for students of Art and Design Academies from all over the world, aims to promote innovation and originality in the field of ceramic art, opening the doors of manufacturing to young people, a bit like what already happened in the twenties and thirties, when the Ceramiche Rometti hosted promising young people who later became artists of the caliber of Corrado Cagli and Leoncillo Leonardi. An experience that is also proposed today, by the will of the owner Massimo Monini and the artistic director Jean Christophe Clair, with the aim of combining the tradition and unmistakable savoir-faire of Rometti with the innovation and originality of the artistic imprints contemporary, in a constant dialogue between art, craftsmanship and design. This year the jury found itself evaluating over one hundred and ten projects, created by students from the following Italian and international Art Academies, Universities and Design Institutes: Academy of Fine Arts of Florence, CAD College of Art and Design (Brussels), IED European Institute of Design (Milan), RUFA Rome University of Fine Arts (Rome), IID Italian Institute of Design (Perugia), Brera Academy of Fine Arts (Milan), University of Genoa, ISIA Institute Higher Institute for the Artistic Industry (Faenza), Ligustic Academy of Fine Arts of Genoa, University of Washington (USA), ESAD Escola Superior de Arts e Design (Porto), IIAD Institute of Applied Art and Design (Turin), HIT Holon Institute of Technology (Israel), NID New Institute of Design (Perugia), ISIA Higher Institute for the Artistic Industry (Pescara), Academy of Fine Arts of Perugia.
