Luxury Design & Craftsmanship Summit: Highlights

Oppening Luxury Design and Craftsmanship Summit 2019 by Amândio Pereira – CEO Covet Group.

After the opening ceremony came the time to pay tribute to master artisans with the Masters of Excellency awards. Craftsmen and craftswoman as Ana Lemos from Embrodery from Madeira, the ceramist Vitor Agostinho, the master artisans Mr Fernando Abreu, Mr Cosme Ferreira, Mr Fernando Alves, Mr Paulo Justo, Mr Joaquim Faria, Mr André Fonseca, Mr Rui Pinto and the craftswoman in filigree Inês Barbosa received an award each.

Icluding The Mayor of Gondomar Marco Martins followed up with a speech in which he highlighted the work of Covet Group, while at the same time congratulating the artisans for all their hard work, congratulating them for “resisting when the market went through hard times”.

The live showcase of arts and crafts was an important part of this edition dedicate to apreciate arts and the beautiful work by the master artisans as Mr José Cunha in embedding and wood carving arts and Vitor Querido in marquetry art, from CULTURE Project.  As well the Collection ” D. Fernando II and Glória” conceived and created this year in CULTURE Creative Hub.

Black Forest Mirror, Side- table Countess dElba and D. Fernando Chair from D Fernando II e Glória Collection, by CULTURE 2019.

Marquetry Technique by master artisan Vitor Querido from Culture Project. Photo: @Covet Foundation

Wood Carving technique by master artisan José from Culture Project. Photo: @Covet Foundation

Walking around we could discover some kind of tematical craftsmaanship of excellence corners . Ceramic art by the renowed Vitor Agostinho, Tile by master artisan Amilcar Ferreira,  plaster by Olga and Ema Santa Bárbara, from Santa Bárbara restoration workshops, ceramic painting by Vista Alegre Company.

Tile painting technique by the master artisan Amilcar Ferreira. Photo: @Covet Foundation

Ceramic moulds by the designer and master artisan Vitor Agostinho. Photo: @Covet Foundation

Palster technique and painting by Olaga and Ema Santa bárbara from Santa Barbara workshops. Photo: @Covet Foundation

Engraving in metal by the master artisan Ludovico Monteiro by Pull Cast and Diogo Dalloz  in jewellery art as well setting, chiseling in goldsmith, and filigree arts by CINDOR, Centre for the Professional Training of the Jewellery and Clockwork Industry, could be apreciated in the live showcase corner.

Engraving technique by Master Ludovico from Pull Cast. Photo: @Covet Foundation

Jewellery art by the designer and master artisan Diogo Dalloz. Photo: @Covet Foundation

Chiseling in goldsmithing by Paulo Martingo from CINDOR. Photo: @Covet Foundation

We can also became charmed with the delicate hands from the craftswomen Ana Lemos embroidering the beautiful point of Madeira Island, Ester Barros, bobbin lace maker and her partner the designer Isabel Carneiro, from Bobbin Lace of Vila do Conde Museum, and the handwoven artistic canvas art developped by Helena Loermans, maker and reseacher in her own laboratory – Lab O.

Embroidery from Madeira by the Master artisan Ana Lemos from Madeira Island. Photo: @Covet Foundation

Bobbin Lace Technique from Vila do Conde by the master artisan Ester Barros and the designer Isabel Carneiro

Handwoven artistc canvas – weave human loom by Helena Loermans.Photo: @Covet Foundation

This first day of the event then proceeded with the intervention of Nicole Segundo, current Network Developer for Portugal at Michelangelo Foundation. She introduced the audience to the history and main purposes of the Michelangelo Foundation, which are mainly centred around promoting, preserving and perpetuating the classical arts and crafts in order to ensure that the future generations take that mantle and preserve these complex traditions. This company is also responsible for the organization of two international events dedicated to traditional arts and crafts: Homo Faber and Doppia Firma (which has represented designers such as Emmanuel Babled, Christian Haas and Sam Baron).

Nicole Segundo from Portugal Michelangelo Foundation. Panel dicussions.

After that came the first panel discussion which was focused on the Dialogue between  Design and Artisanal Excellence. Nicole Segundo was the moderator of this initiative, which had the intervention of two good examples of designers who made a living and career in Portugal: Christian Haas (a German designer who’s been living and making a sold career in Oporto for years), and Emmanuel Babled (a French Designer who works in Babled Design studio, located in Lisbon).

Joining them was artisan Miguel Duarte from FRESS (Fundação Espírito Santo) in a dialogue in which all three of them expressed the importance of traditional arts and crafts from each personal perspective. Despite their different backgrounds, all three speakers agreed that Portuguese craftsmanship is rich in history and culture being art that should definitely be preserved.

Lastly, a panel about the “Present and Future of Craftsmanship”, with artisans Rui Pinto and Vítor Querido, Joaquim Sousa representing Culture Project, the Creative Culture Hub supported by Covet Foundation, PullCast’s CEO João Barros and FRESS’s CEO Conceição Amaral, moderated by journalist Marina de Almeida.

Some luxury crafts and arts pieces from ArtStool Collection by CULTUR and glass, crystal ceramic, ceramic paint, silver from Covet Group partners are exhibited in Pop Up Gallrery that you should appreciate!

BUGS Stool detail in filigree by the master artisans Fernando Abreu and Manuel Rocha from ArtStool Collection by CULTURE. Photo: @Covet Foundation

COIMBRA Stool detail by CEARTE, from ArtStool Collection by CULTURE. Photo: @Covet Foundation

Biarritz bar service, crystal by Vista Alegre in Vista Alegre and Boca do Lobo “Once Upon a Time Cabinet. Photo: @Covet Foundation