Designer Isotta Dardilli collaborated with RTdP on the creation of Mark Bradford limited edition bags

Designer Isotta Dardilli collaborated with RTdP on the creation of Mark Bradford limited edition bags

«Last year I was invited to collaborate on a wonderful social project created by Mark Bradford which would develop in Venice. Mark wanted to assist a Venetian association, Rio Terà dei Pensieri, which works with incarcerated individuals in Venice and reintroduces them into the workforce. This idea was marvelous and it was such a rare opportunity that I chose to accept immediately.

The task was to create a limited-edition bag autographed by Mark Bradford himself, which would be produced under the “Malefatte” brand in the prison lab. In order to design the bag I decided to spend several days with the leaders of the organization so that I could understand the possibilities and the limits of the project. I had to consider various factors, such as the materials, the manual skills of the prisoners, and the specific tools available in the labs.

After careful analysis I opted for a simple and effective design. I wanted to make a bag that could be used by everyone and which had contemporary lines, in which Mark’s work emerged without being just a decorative element. At the same time I wanted the printed work in PVC to be clearly legible. In other words, I imagined the bag as a white canvas, a rectangular format with the addition of the basic elements of a bag, the handles and the shoulder strap.

The bag also needed to be simple to construct, allowing the workers to perfectly handle the few finishings, the details of which make a refined project. Finally, the form had to be essential to respect the lines of contemporary design. The Limited Edition Bag #1 was created from all these requirements.»

Isotta Dardilli