Vernaro is a research-based design project developed through European funding (2015), investigating the relationship between contemporary design and rural craft knowledge. The objects are conceived as living artefacts, shaped through direct collaboration with traditional craftsmen, where material intelligence and human guidance replace industrial or computerized processes.
The production relies on traditional working techniques transmitted across generations — tools and methods that operate through embodied knowledge, time, and manual precision rather than mechanization. In this context, craftsmanship functions not as ornament, but as a method of research, embedding tacit knowledge into contemporary spatial objects.
Materials are sourced and processed through traditional, non-industrial methods. Wool is manually prepared and dyed using plant-based pigments, resulting in nuanced, non-standardized chromatic qualities. This approach foregrounds material ethics and the relationship between natural resources, human labor, and spatial presence.
The collaboration with rural craftsmen was conceived not only as a cultural preservation effort, but as an active exchange of knowledge that supports local communities while reframing traditional practices within a contemporary design research framework.