Creations rising from the Venetian lagoon
- Gabriele creates wooden objects from wood that tells the story of the city
- From discarded wooden poles he creates objects with new shapes and uses
- He collects wood himself by navigating the canals of Venice
It was only in 2023 that Gabriele Zornetta's craftsmanship found a home in a workshop, Atelier1083A, which he shares with a ceramicist. Gabriele works with wood: he salvages driftwood from the lagoon with his boat, and stores the wood collected on his travels in his camper van, before turning it into commonly-used objects. Sometimes he embellishes these with collaborations and creations by Murano's master glassmakers. Gabriele's pieces are designed to bring beauty into everyday life, reinterpreting traditional craftsmanship with a contemporary approach, and always with a practical purpose. Each piece is uniquely crafted to showcase the reclaimed wood, its form and grain, and the metamorphosis wrought by the natural elements over years in the lagoon.
Interview
- When did you first start working with wood?
- As a boy, my mother used to encourage me to get out of the house and experience things. In the summer holidays, I used to head over to my uncle’s carpentry shop. That was where I discovered how much I enjoyed smelling, touching, and shaping wood.
- What is your relationship with Venice?
- Venice is where my roots lie. My grandparents lived on the island of Pellestrina: they transported goods, but to support the family, they had to move to the mainland. That was almost a hundred years ago. I was born and raised outside the lagoon, but now that I live here, I truly feel at home.
- How did you come to start working as an artisan?
- It started as a hobby with the idea of salvaging broken 'briccole' – the navigation marker poles from Venetian canals – to give them a new lease of life. So in my free time, I found myself imagining how to repurpose them.
- What is it that fascinates you so much about wood?
- I love its scent and strength, its flexible, dynamic workability, and its potential for being recycled. The possibility of creating a circular economy from felled trees by reclaiming scrap wood stimulates my creativity.
Gabriele Zornetta is a rising star: he began his career in 2023
Where
Gabriele Zornetta
