Paolo Brandolisio

Rowlock maker

©Marc De Tollenaere

The slow craft of the Venetian remèr

Paolo makes fòrcolas and oars for Venetian rowing
He considers wood to be a great gift of Nature
To him, traditional techniques teach valuable lessons

Paolo Brandolisio discovered his passion for woodwork when he was a boy and so began his journey into the ancient yet vibrant world of the Venetian remèr, renowned maker of Venetian fòrcolas and oaks. In a few years he learned so much from his legendary master Bepi Carli, that when he was only 20 years old he was able to take over Carli’s third-generation workshop. Paolo in turn has taught the craft to a talented young artisan, Paolo Dri. Nowadays in Venice there are only four remèr artisans left. “Saving tradition is very important, but it involves saving a whole cultural movement, an urban and social context. Tradition needs a market to be kept alive, otherwise artisans are just witnesses of the past.”

Interview

©Marc De Tollenaere

©Marc De Tollenaere

How did you learn your craft?: When I was 16, I enjoyed to shape things from wood, so an uncle of mine taught me how to make a fòrcola. I copied one and went to Giuseppe Carli: he looked at it, gave me feedback and it went from there.
Do you have a favourite wood?: Each wood type has its own characteristics. This is what fascinates me the most: just like people, woods have different features you can appreciate, if you know them. I choose the whole trunk, have it cut and let it dry. It is a very special relationship with the material.
How do you merge tradition and innovation in your pieces?: Tradition is ambiguous: where does it start? My method is ancient, but I could legitimately use machines to relieve some of the hardest efforts. I follow this technique because I believe craftsmanship enhances the human being, it is a sort of ecosustainability for Man.
What is so special about being a remèr?: The remèr is a tailor who makes fòrcolas and oars according to the needs of a single rower, taking great care in the whole process – from the choice of wood to the arrangement of the pieces on the boats, to their maintenance. It is a very a slow craft, as it was 70 years ago.

Paolo Brandolisio is an expert artisan: he began his career in 1983