Peace enclosed in a jewel, be it a bracelet, a pendant, a brooch, a necklace, a hair clip, a headband handcrafted by young talents of the goldsmith’s art. “A jewel for peace” is the exhibition which, from 7 to 9 November at the Galleriea Maroncelli in Milan (via Maroncelli 12), showcases over sixty creations, made of silver and other metals by students of an Italian school (Liceo Artistico Carlo Levi of Matera) and universities (School of Industrial Design of the Polytechnic of Turin, University of Perugia and Vanvitelli of Naples), and student-artisans of the Bottega dell’Arte, social design school in Phnom Penh in Cambodia promoted by Il Nodo Cooperazione Internazionale Onlus.
The design works are inspired by the iconic dove protagonist of the famous poster “Translation war into peace”, created in 2003 for the United Nations by Armando Milani, one of the most internationally renowned Italian protagonists of design and graphics. And young Cambodian goldsmith artists have chosen to interpret the concept of peace through the decorative characters of the Khmer language (ancient population settled in Cambodia, in some neighboring regions of Thailand and in some southern areas of Cochinchina).
The project was born from the idea of Patrizia Scarzella who has been collaborating with Il Nodo for years. The non-profit organization was founded in Milan by some designers and operates in Cambodia with social design projects, capable of promoting and enhancing local artisan skills, thus creating a concrete way to help workers. Social design has found full expression and realization in the art workshop, a school that offers high quality professional training courses to young people. The Node guarantees students an apprenticeship salary (per diem) and one meal per day for the entire duration of the courses.
In Cambodia, children often have to leave school very early to support their families with small, precarious jobs. The objective of the project, therefore, is help and support young people coming from situations of extreme social and economic hardship by offering them the opportunity of a profession safe, qualified and of a better future, and at the same time redevelop Khmer craftsmanship with design. The course to enhance the tradition of woodworking also began in 2019. Since 2015, the qualification of the Design Craft Courses issued by Il Nodo has been recognized by the Ministry of Labor and Professional Training of Cambodia.
The node also promotes other projects to support the population in Cambodia and organizes trips to discover the Asian country. For all information: www.ilnodoonlus.org
