An icon of Venetian tradition is illuminated thanks to Creative Cables.
Forcole are wooden objects rooted in the history of Venice. They are the rowlocks on which Venetian rowers rest their oar, using the curves and edges of the forcola as secondary levers to push it through the water. They navigate the lagoon standing up, facing forward, becoming one with their surroundings.
And it was while rowing that Carlo D’Urso, a young Venetian artisan, came up with the idea of imagining that iconic and familiar shape in different contexts.
He studied industrial product design at the Polytechnic University of Turin, and it was here that he first came into contact with Creative Cables: the shop in Via Mazzini was crucial for one of his university projects, and years later he returned there to find a lighting solution for a project with the forcola as its centrepiece.
D’Urso is in fact part of Reborn Shapes, a group of Venetian designers who have proposed a series of projects inspired by the Venetian region, using shapes and materials salvaged from local craft production processes. Beyond the form, he wanted to bring something more from the culture of Venetian rowing and the craftsmanship that sustains this tradition. He therefore decided to include within the structure two types of offcuts from two productions linked to Venetian rowing: walnut wood excess removed during the sculpting of the forcole, and ramin shavings from the making of oars.
The sculpture featuring the forcola as its protagonist is made from transparent 3D-printed PLA and was presented alongside the designers of Reborn Sharpes at the Venice Design Week 2024, when the city comes alive with workshops and themed events. Visitors meet designers and artisans in their studios, coming into direct contact with the world of local craftsmanship, in a cultural context that is among the flagships of Made in Italy.
In this edition of VDW2024, the projects by international designers were inspired by the reflections of water and the Venetian glassmaking tradition. What better light bulb to complete the lamp than the Plumen002, winner of the ELLE Decoration British Design Award in 2014, whose shape is inspired by a drop of water?
“It’s so beautiful it could be a sculpture,” said a friend with whom D’urso goes boating, holding a newly commissioned forcola. And the artisan took him at his word, creating with Creative Cables components a piece that combines local culture and a focus on sustainability.
