Gold, the noblest of metals, possessing the colour of the sun and an everlasting sheen, runs through Piaget’s story as a golden thread connecting watchmaking and
jewellery, artistry and craftsmanship. In the Maison’s “Ateliers de l’Extraordinaire”, skilled artisans’ hand-work gold to celebrate its extraordinary, emotive, deliquescent
qualities. Gold is modelled, sculpted, engraved, woven, buffed, brushed, polished and articulated, to bring out richness and refinement, to play with light, texture, dynamism. Celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, Piaget’s expertise and evolution from watchmaker to jeweller perfectly embodies the Homo Faber motto: “The Journey of Life”.
This year concept, developed by Hanneli Rupert (Vice Chair of the Michelangelo Foundation) and curated by the Italian director and producer Luca Guadagnino and Italian architect Nicolò Rosmarini, will immerse visitors in a rich human narrative chich weaves its way through Fondazione Giorgio Cini, located on San Giorgio Maggiore Island, in Venice. From August 28th to September 30th, Homo Faber will explore the craftsmanship behind the objects that accompany life’s most precious moments in 9 themed exhibitions. An immersive scenography, which will highlight hundreds of handcrafted objects, as well as live artisan demonstrations.
Contemporary and patrimony Piaget pieces will be exceptionally unveiled at the Homo Faber Exhibition to illustrate our gold craftsmanship mastery and the art of chainmaking. Meticulously hand-made chains have been a Piaget signature since the 1960s, since the first Swinging Sautoir watches grabbed the style limelight, swinging on intricately braided chains, finished with lush tassels composed of chain. Chainmaking by hand is a rarefied skill that has been passed down through generations of Piaget goldsmiths and artisans. Today, these hand-craftsmanship skills, refined over decades, are combined with advanced technological processes that bring seductive tactility to tassels, silken suppleness to knitted gold mesh or finely woven Milanese chain. At Homo Faber, vintage and contemporary Swinging Sautoir, Limelight Gala watches or cuff watches create a powerful dialogue between past and present times, between the timepieces and the live demonstration of the know-how of the Piaget artisans.
The event will take place a few minutes away from the Venice Clock Tower. In the late 1990s, the Maison sponsored the restoration of the Clock Tower’s intricate mechanism, and in 2006, the two Moors that strike the hours at the top of the Tower also benefited from Piaget’s generosity and expertise. Today Piaget continues to finance and support the maintenance and revision services of the mechanism of the Tower Clock and of the Clock in Palazzo Ducale solidifying its longlasting relationship with Venice. It is with great pride and excitement that we invite you to discover our craftsmanship on our stand at Homo Faber Event.
