A 21st century craft
- Alessandro creates spectacular sculptures in silicone
- He manipulates matter and transforms it
- He is inspired by the prejudices to be overcome
The objects produced by Alessandro Ciffo represent the perfect synthesis between the extreme contemporaneity of silicone and the primitive gestures of the hands, resulting in objects that are always unique. "The first silicone jar I made was very primitive, but I didn't care at all, it was a feat of my own making," Alessandro explains. The technical characteristics of silicone enable him to obtain original aesthetic and functional results that are unalterable over time, resistant to temperatures, chemical agents but above all to fashion. His discovery of silicone was quite accidental, but he was immediately fascinated by its potential. In fact, he is persuaded that the 21st century will be the century of silicone as the 20th was for plastic. “I chose silicone as a medium to express myself,” he explains, “and I have never abandoned it. When I started, it was a semi-unknown material in the arts, there were neither teachers nor schools, so I had to invent everything, from the way to colour it to the techniques and tools”.
Interview
- What fascinated you about silicone?
- To begin with, that it didn't have a history. I realised that it was a totally free and open field. At that time, I had no background in art, design or crafts. For me it was total darkness. The first silicone jar I made was very primitive, but I didn't care at all, it was a challenge that I made mine.
- Is it a difficult material to work with?
- The silicone I used for the first 15 years is the one normally used to seal windows, which I learned to model with special techniques I developed over time. The one I use now has a more liquid consistency and a completely different type of processing, which has opened yet another chapter.
- How do you approach silicone?
- I have always approached this contemporary material with primitive techniques, starting from the hands. Our hands represent our tradition, because it is from their experience that our intelligence was formed. Using them on new materials creates a short circuit that releases a great creative energy.
- Are you inspired by your home region?
- I was born and raised in Biella, a region historically linked to textile manufacturing but also the seat of the Pistoletto Foundation. From textiles I absorbed the value of beauty, of colours and of the research of materials. From Pistoletto the importance of thinking and the responsibility of art.
Alessandro Ciffo is a master artisan: he began his career in 1997 and he started teaching in 2005
Where
Alessandro Ciffo
