“Il filo del cuore”: the lace as key player of a new project in Venice

giovannaNo CommentsUNESCO Site Office News
“Il filo del cuore” is a project that aims to enhance the ancient art of lace, in particular the needle technique of Burano and that of spindles of Pellestrina. The Art of Lace has been waiting since 2016 to become part of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List. The series of initiatives planned fits perfectly into the Celebrations for the 1600 Years of Venice, representing a testimony of the restart following the health emergency. The project was developed by the Musei Civici Foundation - of which the Lace Museum in Burano is part - which made use of the collaboration with the Adriana Marcello Foundation and the Venezia Nativa Consortium.
The planning covers a period of four months. The opening took place on 14 June with the award ceremony of the winning works of the national competition "Un merletto per Venezia", and will be followed by 3 events, one for each month. On July 11, as a matter of fact, on the occasion of the International Lace Day the lace makers from all over the world will join in virtual connection, demonstrating that the lace is still a living art, able to adapt to the contemporary and to be handed down. Instead, in August the attention will be focused on Pellestrina island, where it will be realized a day entirely dedicated to spindles; while in September, at Palazzo Mocenigo, there will be a conference on "know how to make" the lace and its UNESCO candidacy. The cycle of initiatives will end on 14 October with the presentation of the Lace Biennale 2022.
At the same time, in these four months will take place a series of guided tours to the Lace Museum of Burano and Palazzo Mocenigo, where some lace collections are exhibited, as well as a series of webinars organized by representatives of the 25 Italian Communities candidate for UNESCO designation with the aim of explaining and deepening the art of lace.
On June 14, the start date of the event program, was chosen as a tribute to Emma Vidal, the centenary lacemaker of Burano who passed away on June 14, 2019. It is thanks to the women lacemakers, and their constant commitment, that the process for the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Nomination has been realized. Through this recognition it will be easier to pursue the objective of safeguarding and enhancing the thousand-year old art of lace, born in Italy and spread throughout the world, but above all to pass down this inestimable wealth to the younger generations so that it is safeguarded over time.