Autumn/Winter 2022

In phrase three, an artisan becomes an elder.
In primates, the ‘grandmother’ is tasked with
taking care of orphaned young, and she is the
one in charge of resolving conflicts within the
group. The importance of her role cannot be
underestimated. The same goes for humans! The
‘grandmother’ is the master artisan who wants to
pass on her knowledge, because that is the only
way her work can become part of our universal
heritage, otherwise, her expertise – and the
craft from whence it came – is lost. In life, we’d
compare it to the generational process that plays
out between daughter, mother and grandmother.
In life, we’d compare phrase three to the
generational process that plays out between
daughter, mother and grandmother. The artisan
is struck by the desire to share all that she
herself has learned. This is a vital phase. Italian
laws complicate the traditional process of
apprenticeship, making it difficult to hire the
newest generations, so that they can learn from
master artisans while they are still active. Without
this opportunity, craftsmanship is lost, and we
cannot allow this to happen. ‘The grandmother’
must be allowed to share her wisdom, and
despite the generalised indifference that Western
culture shows towards its elders, the mind, heart
and hands of the aging artisan must be regarded
as our greatest asset, deserving of our utmost
respect.” RC
An excerpt of this interview was published in
The Florentine, October 2022.
For more: www.fondazionelisio.org
96 Restoration Conversations • Autumn / Winter 2022