Roberto Tarter & Rodolfo Viola

Morghen Studio

Furniture maker

©Morghen Studio

Old knowledge and modern visions

Roberto and Rodolfo do everything in-house
Their signature work involves the concept of “flexible light”
They believe in applying old knowledge to contemporary practices

Roberto Tarter and Rodolfo Viola are Morghen Studio, a multidisciplinary practice that blends artisanal techniques and contemporary studies in project-making. Besides the ground-breaking design, what makes them special is their ability to carry out work fully in-house, starting from the project and moving on to prototype, production and installation. Their practice was born as a side-project in 2014, when they set out to find a space for their experiments. Roberto and Rodolfo have learned crafting techniques from local masters and web-tutorials. Among their preferred materials are copper, brass, stone and light, the latter they consider an actual material and therefore treat it as such by moulding and shaping it according to the project’s requirement.

Interview

©Morghen Studio

©Morghen Studio

How did you decide to blend craftsmanship and project-making?: Roberto: The market has evolved – today designers can reach out to consumers directly and vice-versa. At the same time, the request for bespoke products has increased. Carrying out a project from start to finish has become convenient, as well as interesting.
In which way has it become convenient?: Rodolfo: The de-industrialisation process has made it hard to find employment within industries. Also, today people order a product and they want it delivered immediately. Outsourcing is costly both in terms of time and money, if you can do everything yourself you can cut down expenses and work faster.
What is your signature piece?: Roberto: We are constantly experimenting, today one of our signature work is “Fabric Flexible Light”, an extremely lightweight system made of a LED light core, a series of engineered tubular diffusors and a fabric cover. It’s completely customisable and, since it’s modular, it’s also very easy to ship.
How do you combine tradition and innovation in your work?: Rodolfo: Today we see many homages – exhibitions, books and such – to great masters. They are remembered for their career, but often their teaching just gets lost. It is important to apply this kind of knowledge to a contemporary setting, attributing the work and not just the name.

Roberto Tarter & Rodolfo Viola are expert artisans: they began their career in 2012