A few years ago, while busy relishing control over my life again, by way of resetting everything and starting again, I came across a revolutionary book: “ Cedi la Strada ai Alberi” (“make way for the trees”), by Franco Arminio. A dear friend had read one of his poems to me in the shade of a pine forest by the sea, on one of those sun-kissed days sun May.
A postcard.
That was a very difficult year for me, but somehow, with those pages and the company of a group of truly special friends, I always managed to find a feeling of relief. Because since that day I have always found Beauty (with a capital B) in Franco Arminio’s poems.
Today, years later, his verses finally come under my press, for a truly special collaboration – which I am happy, honoured and very, very excited about.
This project is based on a verse lifted from his book “Studies on Love”: “Abbiate cura di impazzire per un abbraccio” (Make sure to go crazy for a hug). We worked on this together, directly and without frills, in two formats: 50×70 cm and A4. Living amongst my drawers and my characters, I understood that losing your mind over simple things is the most important goal to achieve. No fuss, No complications: we need to bloom again to find ourselves within love. And when we’re there, that’s the right time to let go.
And it takes a lot to finally lower your defenses. The same courage it takes to go crazy, to let go just a little bit. There is a need to take care and go crazy, making sure to lose yourself in the strength of a hug. In my case – as I lift my eyes from the keyboard to look around – I look at my atelier, my drawers, my posters hung out to dry.
And it all drives me crazy with love and joy.
Reinventing yourself as a typographer, finding yourself once more in love with your work – deep down – is a bit crazy. A choice far removed from the digital reality that I experienced in my previous life as a graphic designer. A potentially risky choice but one that paid me off in full.
Because it takes courage to love. It takes a lot to listen to our needs, practice happiness, go and get what we really need and leave behind everything that isn’t needed.
There is a need to take care and find ourselves within love. Now more than ever.
It’s as if it needed a hug to come out of the drawer.
Every project that ends up under the press has its own character, and my drawers, as a general rule, have the right type to best express it.
This is what Poetry does, it makes us search inside our drawers to find what we really need. The connecting point between the written word and the printed word once again becomes the perfect union between reason and sentiment.
As usual, this is a limited edition. There are 65 copies, inked and printed manually with typographic proofers, on handmade cotton paper from the Paper Museum in Mele (GE).
It is available on my shop in large (50×70 cm) and small (21×30 cm) format. Hand-printed with typographic proofers. There are 100 copies, all numbered, signed and stamped.
Print authorized by the author.
