| co/rizom incubator is guiding amazing artisans, designers and business professionals in developing their collections for a global audience. focus on series will allow you to get to know better the people behind the PODs. This edition is dedicated to Inner side of the shape: A combination of copper and brass vases mended by craftsman Victor Clopotar, which will intrigue the viewer with the interplay between the inner and outer layer of materials. |
| Victor Clopotar was born into a family of Căldărari, a Roma community in Brăteiu, Transylvania with centuries old history in metal crafts – copper, silver and brass. He has followed in the footsteps of his ancestors and trained as a copper-smith. There used to be 200 Roma copper-smiths in his village, but today there are only six left. Working with copper is a real craft challenge, and Victor is one of the few people in the world able to create something elliptical or asymmetrical. |
| A collage of wood, glass, metal, plastic, used in different proportions, vigorously articulated into a bold, contrasting aesthetic, is what defines Radu Abraham’s body of work. He is based in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. How did you start working as a designer? Even though I studied design since high school the first object I made was during my master studies, when we had to make a walking cane. I drew mine in an organic shape, then modelled it in wood. I was amazed to discover how nice wood was, and how the shape and the surface kept changing throughout the whole process. It was the first time I considered the idea of working with matter and shaping it into objects for a living. What does the word craft bring to mind? The idea of knowledge often learned through an empiric process of discovering the material and its possibilities, then passed on through generations. It also involves a great set of skills, also part of the same process and knowledge. Finally, it talks about a connection the craftsman has with the material, sometimes unaware. This connection becomes more and more rare nowadays. What is the biggest challenge in the design process? The biggest challenge right now for me, not only in the co/rizom incubator, is to find the right balance between costs of production, aesthetics, and function. In time, I developed a sculptural approach on the design process, without necessarily keeping tracks of costs and without the precise aim for sales. Now I am challenged to add these two ingredients for reaching the market, while staying true and in contact with my aesthetic language. |
| Victor Dulgheru has a wide experience in the product development of household objects and home decor, handmade in underprivileged communities from Romania. How did you start working as a business developer? I started working as a seller of products made by craftsmen in 2010 and it was necessary to understand the processes behind product development and execution. I was captivated by the materials, and production process and partnered with Romanian and international designers for limited-series collections. What does the word ”craft” bring to mind? For me, craft means the culture and identity of the communities who practice it. Describe the co/rizom incubator in 3 words: Innovation, design, support. |
