An exhibition which, through wood, celebrates the culture of doing and a return to the right timing of things

From 7 to 9 June, the Italian Cultural Institute in Copenhagen will stage - under the title Timemade - a collection of wooden artefacts born from the aesthetic research of David Dolcini, started in his family's carpentry workshop in 2020.

Drawing on this family heritage, Dolcini has developed a series of unique objects which, without functional or design constraints, reflect the complex nature of the time.

Declining the temporal dimension in various ways - well expressed by the title Timemade, i.e. 'made by time' -, Dolcini celebrates a culture of making based on artisanal techniques and a design approach far from the traditional rhythms of industrial production.

Marco Sammicheli considers it "a return to the right timing of things" in which even the unexpected and randomness are welcomed serenely by the designer and exalted by the changeable and seductive nature of wood.

David Dolcini_Timemade_19
Ph. Mattia Balsamini

Timemade is the result of a journey that began in 2020 during the pandemic, how was it born?

Unlike all my previous projects Timemade was born without a vision. Situations always create opportunities: I know it may sound obvious because so many people have fantasized about the subject of Covid and we have all suffered from it in some way and we had to look for footholds in those difficult moments.

In my case, my foothold was the laboratory, where I came to experiment in the calmer moments when I didn't have to assist my family.

David Dolcini_Timemade_28
Ph. Mattia Balsamini

How has it evolved over time?

Everything I had inside in terms of studies and research came out spontaneously: traditional Chinese art, botany, everything got mixed up.
Each series is a logical and natural consequence of what came before, with no real purpose and no deadlines.
Every time I felt fulfilled, my research evolved into something new. Only now, looking at it from afar, does it look like a real collection, with a beginning and an end.
David Dolcini_Timemade_29
Ph. Mattia Balsamini

These are unique objects with unusual shapes. Were they designed for specific contexts?

The pieces appear as small architectures or exoskeletons without a function. I have had them in my studio for a long time and, moving them from one environment to another, I have seen them mix and dialogue with other objects or even with prototypes of my other projects.
Then one day a curator friend of mine came to visit me and, when she saw them, she noticed that there was a sense of continuity at the base .
So, a year after the start, I began to understand that they could really work together and gradually abandoning the free search matrix, I began to visualize Timemade as a single project.
David Dolcini_Timemade_5
Ph. Mattia Balsamini

These are unique objects with unusual shapes. Were they designed for specific contexts?

The pieces appear as small architectures or exoskeletons without a function. I have had them in my studio for a long time and, moving them from one environment to another, I have seen them mix and dialogue with other objects or even with prototypes of my other projects.
Then one day a curator friend of mine came to visit me and, when she saw them, she noticed that there was a sense of continuity at the base.

So, a year after the start, I began to understand that they could really work together and gradually abandoning the free search matrix, I began to visualize Timemade as a single project.

David Dolcini_Timemade_3
Ph. Mattia Balsamini

So the choice of wood is not random at all. What fascinates you about this material?

My family has been working wood since 1838, my father first made me hate and then become passionate about the profession when as a boy he made me work in a sawmill to be able to afford a moped. Wood is the only material that does not die ever, keeping its characteristics intact which lead it to change over time, expanding or twisting. The pieces are not treated and this makes them receptive to any type of external input: mushrooms, the fat from our hands, humidity…
David Dolcini_Timemade_20
Ph. Mattia Balsamini

In an ever faster, increasingly digitized world, you return to manual work and tradition. Why?

A fundamental aspect of the project is that there have never been deadlines, as normally happens in the world of industry and design, where new products are continually presented. I don't feel this need and I like to surround myself with like-minded people.
Each of our projects is the result of a long process of research, testing and prototyping.
So I can say that my work has always been characterized by this approach, this desire, this will, all perfectly condensed in Timemade.
David Dolcini_Timemade_17
Ph. Mattia Balsamini

The exhibition is curated by a great professional, Marco Sammicheli.

Marco came from Riviera when we presented the collection, at the time I was not yet aware of what I had created, I was afraid that people would not understand its meaning.
Instead, he was able to read it right away and perhaps more than others, involving me in the realization of the project for the Enterprise and Value Award assigned by the Milan Monza Brianza Lodi Chamber of Commerce.
After that, he thought it was time to introduce Timemade to the world in Copenhagen. Let's say that I consider him the godfather of this project.
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