Marion Mezenge creates timeless interior objects based on observation and experience. She unveils a unique story with each light that she designs and makes. Marion graduated as an art turner from the Ecole Boulle. Her sensitivity towards materials led her to develop a particular know-know for the machine processing of non-ferrous metals: brass, bronze, copper, or aluminium. She works her pieces on the lathe and then uses patination or chasing to finish them. Through a contrast of textures, her creations subtly reveal the beauty of the material. Before devoting herself to her own practice, Marion refined her skills working in Parisian workshops specialised in the manufacture of high-end lighting.

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The candlestick and the play of light offered by the polished brass reflector are inspired by the life of the explorer Gertrude Bell. She transports us to an arid universe where desert crossings are made on horseback. As far as the eye can see, an immensity of warm tones, of burning sand.

Gertrude

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This candlestick made of brass and glass is inspired by the life of Sir Ernest Shackleton. In 1914 the captain made his first attempt to cross the Antarctic. During this journey, Ernest inhabited immense panoramas with subtle shades of grey, pale blue and several shades of white. On certain evenings, these polar landscapes came alive with the Northern Lights. The reflector can be turned to discover this play of colours.

Ernest

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The Dorian bud vase accentuates the ephemeral beauty of a flower or a slender bunch of wildflowers. From the top of its slender legs, it is adorned with a polished brass reflector. Smooth at the centre and undulating at the edges, our perception is turned upside down.

Dorian

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The Gertrude wall lamp combines two temporalities, one ancient, one contemporary. It offers two lighting options, one with a candle and one with LED. The indirect and soft artificial light is diffused on the wall, while the light of the flame invades the space once it is switched off.

Gertrude (wall lamp)

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After training in computer science, Sylvain Maehnout worked in the field of human resources for many years before co-managing a consulting company, where he learned all the tricks of having his own business. In 2017 he had the opportunity to change career, which is when he decided to turn to knife making. Shortly after completing his training as a blacksmith, he opened his workshop in 2018. What he likes most about his profession is working with two different materials, steel and wood, as they react in completely different ways when worked with. This creates an infinite number of things to learn to do better, and this is what motivates him every day in his newfound path.

Maenhout, Sylvain

Culinary and aesthetic tools

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Laura Demichelis felt a deep attachment to bronze the first time she laid her hands on it. After graduating in bronze making from Ecole Boulle, a chance encounter with designer Van Der Streaten in Paris led her to work on contemporary handcrafted furniture in bronze. She knew at that point that this would become her calling. Her technique and skill were nurtured in the workshop, where she was surrounded by people who encouraged her to push boundaries and promoted excellence and perfection in the execution of a finished object. In 2016, she set up Atelier Demichelis in Toulouse, creating entirely handmade contemporary lighting and furniture in bronze.

Demichelis, Laura

The modern bronzesmith

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Jonathan Soulié discovered the craft of coppersmithing only recently, learning at the same time that it was a dying profession. Coming from a region traditionally famous for its copper, he was immediately inspired to take up the hammer himself. France’s tradition of dinanderie (a word that gets its name from the Belgian village that made the craft famous) is quite unique: an object, whether practical or decorative, is fashioned using a hammer from a single sheet of copper, brass, pewter, aluminum, or steel. Although today there are machines and hybrid techniques, Jonathan’s goal “is to conserve the most traditional technique he can, using no welding or as little as possible”.

Soulié, Jonathan

Saving a noble tradition through art

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Steaven Richard started his professional life wanting to discover various mindsets, which is why he travelled through Europe for ten years learning blacksmithing in Germany, Ireland and England. Following his training as a farrier, Steaven turned to blacksmithing for its artistic possibilities, a fundamental part of his work to this day. Opening his own workshop in 2001 was the beginning of this never-ending research for new techniques and artistic possibilities, two facets of his work that he has developed simultaneously. This need for superior craftsmanship – combined with an artistic vision of what metal can be – brought him to invent techniques unique to his work and sought after by the prestigious institutions he collaborates with.

Richard, Steaven

The artistic touch of metal

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Your authorizations

Developed in partnership with Fondazione Cologni dei Mestieri d’Arte and made possible by the support of Cartier, Homo Faber in Città gives you a rare chance to visit over 70 artisan workshops. The project is developed in collaboration with Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Confartigianato Imprese Venezia, CNA Venezia, Consorzio Promovetro Murano, The Venice Glass Week and Venezia da Vivere.

Our Partners

Step inside the workshops and ateliers to learn the secrets of local master artisans and manufacturers

Try your hand at different crafts with an authentic experience

Marvel at examples of fine craftsmanship by doing our itineraries

This september, the second edition of Homo Faber in Città invites visitors to step off the beaten track and discover the artisanal addresses where Venetian craftspeople create objects of exquisite beauty. A rare opportunity to witness Venice’s master artisans and young talents demonstrating their crafts and presenting the tools, materials and skills involved in contemporary Venetian craftsmanship.

Enrich your experience beyond Homo Faber 2024: The Journey of Life

Account and data history

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Homo Faber Guide is an online portal dedicated to contemporary craftsmanship, showcasing artisans, ateliers, museums, galleries, shops and experiences. Create your user account for access to exclusive features on Homo Faber Guide: save your preferred pages, hear about hot topics first, leave recommendations for your favourite artisans and much more.

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Although the Michelangelo Foundation researches the talents for its projects autonomously, collaboration with our ambassadors is fundamental. Over 120 associations, schools and institutions allow us to map the continents for craftsmanship and to have partners in each country who share our vision and goals. In addition, we have asked well-known personalities in the craft, design and art world to be our ambassadors in the cities where they live, so that their recommendations can offer a unique insight into craftsmanship in the major cities of Europe and beyond.

Who are our ambassadors?

Download our free Homo Faber Guide app (iOS and Android) to discover artisans, museums, galleries, shops, and experiences by location. Search Homo Faber on the App store on your mobile device.

Find craftsmanship destinations on the go

Discover the addresses of esteemed manufacturers, well known for producing high quality objects across a wide variety of crafts. Read their stories and find out where you can shop their contemporary pieces, see their archive collections and even in some cases visit their workshops. Find exceptional ateliers where artisans collaborate creatively to create fine pieces of craftsmanship. Reach out to them to commission something special.

Ateliers & Manufacturers

All the artisans and small workshops featured in Homo Faber Guide have been carefully researched and selected. They are presented and narrated through a selection of images and an interview, which allows readers to immerse themselves in the universe of these makers who exemplify excellence in their individual fields or are promising talents of the future. Find masters and rising stars who share the same passion and determination, and whose workshops are ready to share their secrets with visitors.

A selection of the best artisans

Are you eager to discover a city through craftsmanship? Do you wish to spend a few hours visiting an applied arts museum or attending a course on a craft with one of the masters featured in Homo Faber Guide? Browse the section dedicated to experiences and find your next adventure.

Experiences

An expert artisan is an accomplished artisan who has been in activity for more than ten years. He or she may also be engaged in passing on their knowledge to the next generations, but they have been doing so for less than seven years. Beyond this, they will become a Master artisan.

Who is an Expert artisan?

Homo Faber Guide provides you with a selection of the best addresses across Europe and further afield, where you will be able to discover and purchase exceptional objects, some of which are created by artisans featured in Homo Faber Guide.

Galleries

Homo Faber Guide is an online platform dedicated to craftsmanship that allows you to discover artisans and their masterpieces; explore museums, visit galleries and shops selling unique objects; enjoy experiences in cities across Europe and beyond.

Homo Faber Guide is a signature project developed by the Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship, an international non-profit organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, which was set up in 2016 thanks to the intuition of Franco Cologni and Johann Rupert. The Michelangelo Foundation’s mission is to celebrate and preserve master craftsmanship, and for this reason it has created a map of the most significant representatives in this field, with the aim of connecting all its protagonists: artisans, designers, gallery owners, art curators, collectors and enthusiasts of high-quality handmade pieces.

About the Guide

Are you an artisan, atelier or manufacturer? Would you like to be featured in Homo Faber Guide? The Michelangelo Foundation encourages self-assessment initiatives and is pleased to evaluate new members to appear on the Guide or in other projects. Thanks to the Master’s Touch Evaluation Tool, every artisan can send their application: register and access a questionnaire to see if you fulfill the 11 criteria for excellence that stand behind all the activities of the Michelangelo Foundation. If your answers reach the minimum requirement, your application will be brought to our attention; if, on the contrary, you should score below the minimum requirement, we will give you some points for improvement, in the hope that you may participate in future initiatives of the Michelangelo Foundation.

Join the Homo Faber Guide!

Our artisan labels

A master artisan is an accomplished artisan who has been in activity for more than ten years, and who has also been engaged in passing on his or her expertise to the younger generations for more than seven years. This is in keeping with one of the key values of the Michelangelo Foundation: the transmission of knowledge in craftsmanship.

Who is a Master artisan?

Find museums handpicked for their links to contemporary craftsmanship and the exquisite collections they have on display. In each city, discover a museum of interest and organise your visit. From Italian museums displaying coral collections, glass pieces and ceramics to decorative art museums in Russia and Greece, marvel at the variety of museums exhibiting masterpieces, showcasing techniques and recounting histories.

Museums

A rising star is an artisan who has been active for less than ten years, and who is capable of expressing his or her craft with competence, creativity and originality. Whether self-taught or trained, the rising star represents the future of craftsmanship, in creativity, concerns and approaches.

Who is a Rising star?

The artisans featured in Homo Faber Guide have been selected through a meticulous assessment process based on the 11 criteria for excellence, identified by Alberto Cavalli, Executive Director of the Michelangelo Foundation, in the volume The Master’s Touch, written with researchers Giuditta Comerci and Giovanna Marchello. The members of the Michelangelo Foundation’s network who have been invited to participate in sourcing artisans for the Guide use an evaluation tool based on these criteria. In this way, they can identify the most suitable artisans to include in the project.

Simple rules for a transparent selection

In which city does the artisan work?

In which country does the artisan practise?

What craft does the artisan practise?

What is the artisan’s Instagram page?

What is the name of the artisan you are recommending?

Does the artisan have a website?

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