David Dolcini

Le forme del tempo

Curated by Marco Sammicheli

April 1h – May 24th 2025

Volumnia, Piacenza

Volumnia is pleased to announce Le forme del tempo, the site-specific project by designer David Dolcini, unfolding in two acts. The first, born as an installation, was placed on the church’s forecourt, home to the gallery, in December 2024. The second, an exhibition within the monumental spaces of Volumnia, is scheduled for March 2025.

Enrica De Micheli selected David Dolcini for the programming at the gallery in Piacenza. The designer, with the collaboration of the project’s curator Marco Sammicheli, presents an evolution of his research into forms and archetypes, a journey that began a few years ago under the name Timemade.

Crafted, shaped, sculpted by time; absorbed, adapted, immersed in the space inhabited by man – this is how Dolcini creates a series of objects with a strong sculptural presence and a subtle poetic pull, intended to evoke an emotional tension in the observer, to trigger a reaction of character, and to foster a sense of attachment.

Dolcini has envisioned a series of moldable ideas, grouping them into families (grafts, overlays, tendrils, converts), arranging them in a pathway that aligns with the monumental nature of the gallery’s spaces, starting with the church’s forecourt to come closer to the city’s community.

The designer’s craft is bound by the constraints of function: it responds to requirements, follows rules, and accompanies behavior. However, this aspect opens the professional duties to unpredictable evaluations, including the realm of sentiment and irrational will: it is the consolatory influence that objects have on people.

David Dolcini has explored this middle ground, finding not only an expressive workshop but also the foundation for building a relationship with the observer.
The reflection Dolcini embarked upon since 2019 involves the very work of the designer, delving into the roots not only of his personal origins in the province of Piacenza but also of the craft itself. Through public actions and, even before, in the calm of his atelier, Dolcini has conducted a series of experiments, complex formal exercises focused on woodworking and his sculptural gestures.