Rinalda Bonazza

Rizza Artexture

Lacemaker

©Coki Barbieri

Through the lens of a microscope

Rinalda’s creations are inspired by nature and art
Her first work was a tribute to Alberto Burri's Sacchi
She uses only hand-spun, vegetable-dyed hemp

“My practice,” explains Rinalda Bonazza, “is rooted in the love for needlework that my mother passed on to me.” Aged only 7, Rinalda eagerly learned the technique of continuous-thread bobbin lace from a Cantù lacemaker. This artisan also taught her how to be disciplined in her work, and to trust her skills. “In those years I discovered beauty, the pleasure it can give, and realised that I had the tools to create it.” Lacemaking became an occupation many years later, when Rinalda decided to turn her life around and recover her childhood passion. She developed her own original language. The mysterious networks she creates are inspired by the microscopic anatomy of biological tissues: to remind us that nature creates beauty and harmony even in what is invisible to the naked eye.

Interview

©Coki Barbieri

©Coki Barbieri

What techniques and raw materials do you use?: I specialise in the combined use of two techniques: continuous-thread bobbin lace and a compact double-knot weave made using loose threads, without a loom. I use hemp for its historical link to the province of Ferrara, where it was widely cultivated until the 1950s.
Have the tools of this craft changed with time?: They have been the same for centuries: cushion, bobbins, pins, crochet hook, scissors, thimble, pricking cards and yarns. Nothing else. It takes months to make a single piece of lace, and that is what makes this craft so far-removed from our fast-moving world.
What are the most important aspects of your work?: The heritage of craftsmanship that goes into it and how fundamental hand-spun hemp is to obtain this aesthetic result. Hemp is a humble but warm, evocative material: delicately beautiful and magnificently imperfect.
Is lacemaking an endangered craft and how can it be supported?: Lacemaking belongs to those crafts that require a certain degree of madness, a huge amount of time and plenty of passion. The best way to support it is to offer artisans visibility and creative collaborations.

Rinalda Bonazza is a master artisan: she began her career in 1998