Step into the beautiful Chiostro dei Cipressi cloister of the Fondazione Giorgio Cini to view a photographic ode to craftsmanship. Italian photographer and artist Susanna Pozzoli had the privilege of photographing master artisans from Venice and the Veneto region, especially for Homo Faber. Glassblowers and shoemakers, weavers and gondolas makers, metalworkers and lacemakers… artisans from 21 workshops opened their doors to allow Pozzoli to observe them at work. Through her lens she captured the critical moments within the process of creation, the tools, materials and gestures that contribute to making a thing of beauty. The result is a poem in pictures, an homage to craftsmanship and the vast artisanal richness of Venice and Veneto.

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Displayed around the walls of the beautiful cloister, Pozzoli’s photographs illustrate important aspects of craftsmanship, revealing the details, colours, textures and atmosphere in the workshops she visited. We see the raw materials, the base from which all artisans work, and the context – the wonderfully shabby boatyard where wooden gondolas are made in the traditional way, the intimacy of the cabinet maker’s workshop. We see the tools that are critical to the work – the tailor’s scissors, the shoemaker’s hammer. Lastly, we glimpse the gestures of the artisan, whose mastery of these tools and techniques brings the object to life. By inviting us into these fascinating workshops in such an artistic way, Pozzoli’s photos pose questions, spark our imagination and allow us to see craftsmanship in a new light.