The Design of Relationships

The Heart of the Matter.

Unique pieces are beautiful, but are they enough for me...?

I don’t mean financially—though, honestly, that’s a bloodbath: flea markets bore me, so I don’t do them; I don’t want my pieces to cost too much, so they don’t even cover my hours of work; and, to top it off, I’m a compulsive gift-giver and any excuse is good enough for me to give things away for free. But whatever, I love making them, so I do it anyway. The real question is: are they enough for me in the long run?

Creating P.U.RE. pieces is a solitary process: peaceful afternoons spent in a cozy little room, time flowing by calmly and relaxing. A dream! And yet, something feels missing... someone feels missing! Damn, I was hoping to stumble upon another enthusiast to start a small "scrap-craft" business with, to talk about earrings and leftovers from morning till night. But the reality is: no fellow lunatics have appeared, and, honestly, this quietness is starting to bore me a little...

"An idea, a concept, an idea..."

I took a step back and looked at the bigger picture: the experiments with P.U.RE. pieces, my friends, their work, the conversations, the things we’ve created together…

And then it hit me: maybe there is someone to make them with…

"...as long as it remains just an idea, it’s nothing but an abstraction." Giorgio Gaber, Un'idea

Very close to home, there’s Laserplanet, a company run by friends who do laser cutting. That’s where I get my plexiglass scraps. I love those guys, and they always have plenty of leftover materials from their work. So, I design my little jewelry pieces, visit them to see what scraps they’re about to throw away, and they help me cut them out, since my pieces are so small, they fit perfectly into every unused corner of plexiglass.... And at least I’m not alone!

But even that didn’t quite feel right, there was still someone missing to make them for...

A World of Relationships

Even if they’re just earrings and necklaces, they need "to serve" a greater purpose: they need to be gifts for friends!

Earrings for everyone! (Let’s hope they’re women and have pierced ears…)

And… voilà! Ladies and gentlemen: Re.CUTe is born!

I allowed myself a little English play on words:

• "Cute" because they’re pretty (at least, I like them).

• "Cut" because they’re laser-cut.

• "Re" because they’re more than just cut: they’re re-cut, made from scraps and leftovers.

• But most importantly, "Re" because they are born from relationships.

  
  

Re.CUTe are pieces of jewelry designed for friends, to be part of their lives, to highlight their experiences and personalities. I handle the design: I make little sketches that aim to represent who they are and what they do. Then I give them these pieces, so they can use them to tell their own stories, showcase their products, and share the joy of making things together. Relationships are what enrich it all.

A friend of mine (Ettore the non-guide, our very own Gandalf with an engineering degree) once told us about a blessing he received: "May you fulfill yourself, not just in doing things, but in the being that expresses itself through doing."

And that’s exactly what Re.CUTe is for me: my attempt to get to the heart of the matter: to do, yes, but not alone. Because, deep down, I don’t see myself as alone, so: if the being is to express itself, then there must be someone else.

Re.CUTe wants to be accessible, charming, simple, and easy to understand, ideally, even fun and playful, so that we don’t take ourselves too seriously and can have a good laugh about it.

Of course, expecting a pair of earrings to be the ultimate fulfillment of the being is a bit of a stretch, but they can be a little step in that direction.

I use an illustration by Giovanni, my favorite comic artist, which doesn’t seem to have much to do with my Zavàj pieces. It’s the cover of a small booklet titled "An Event for Everyone" ("un avvenimento per tutti”). The event is that moment (sometimes small) that makes you take a step forward, a moment that is True for you and for everyone. Because, for me, the design of relationships has been a decisive step in how I think about my work... an idea that, I believe, could be interesting for everyone.