Daniele Davitti

Embroiderer

©Lorenzo Michelin

©Martina Giachi

Drawing with needle and thread

Daniele is an artist who expresses himself through embroidery
He works with vintage cloth that he inherited from his grandmother
His art is a constant technical experimentation

Daniele Davitti is an artist and embroiderer who teaches at the Polimoda International Institute of Design and Marketing in Florence. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Daniele expressed his creativity through painting and collage, but the two months of lockdown had a significant impact on his art. For Daniele, needle and thread became an escape from forced confinement and allowed him to discover a new artistic medium. By following tutorials on the Internet and then thanks to the teachings of a Florentine master in the field, Daniele learnt the classical basics of this ancient craft. "In my work, I do not stick to traditional embroidery, but enjoy experimenting," he says. "I draw with the needle just as I used to with the pencil," he adds. Using his grandmother's legacy of vintage cloth and textile, Daniele creates wall-hangings and other panels with threads of various materials.

Interview

©Martina Giachi

©Martina Giachi

How is your craft linked to where you live?: The technique I use is related to the peasant culture of the past. My grandmother, who lived through the war and autarchy, wove and embroidered her wedding trousseau herself. She was an embroiderer by need, not vocation. By working on remnants and parts of her trousseau, I continue the work she started 80 years ago. My works represent the link between the past and the present and shape a future that I have imagined and designed through embroidery.
How do tradition and modernity connect in your work?: Today, in my industry, they run on the same track. When I talk to my students about sustainability, a very topical subject, I take my grandmother's way of life as an example. Today, as back then, the focus is on recycling and the naturalness of materials. This ethical approach is important to me and I only use natural fibres or fabrics recovered from my grandmother's trousseau.
What do you love most about your profession?: One aspect I really love about embroidery is that it has taught me a new concept of time. Embroidery means adopting a different time march than that of the contemporary world, less hectic but more natural. As my teacher used to tell me, ‘you cannot rush embroidery’ and embroidery requires the luxury of taking your time, sometimes even months or years.
Is there something about your profession that people do not usually know?: I like to communicate to the public and my students the therapeutic value of embroidery. Practising this art requires great concentration and all our attention is focused on the hand and the needle. It is no coincidence that embroidery was adopted as therapy for post-traumatic disorders of veterans of the Great War. Through a delicate and silent art, the hubbub and horrors of the trenches were momentarily forgotten. I find this a poetic and moving image.

Daniele Davitti is a rising star: he began his career in 2020