La tradizione della cartapesta e la "bottega temporanea" del Carro Trionfale di Maria SS. della Bruna

Abstract

The contribution is part of my doctoral research on the themes of artistic craftsmanship and the processes of locality construction. In particular, the research focused on the meaning of the artisan workshop and the practices related to artistic and traditional craftsmanship, comparing the studies produced in these areas and reporting the case studies of the city of Matera and the Catalan region. In the case of the city of Matera, with reference to the artisan tradition of the area, I explored the themes linked to popular art and the trades of the agropastoral tradition, with a particular focus on papier-mâché and what I called the "temporary workshop" of the Carro Trionfale. The Carro Trionfale is made every year by master papier-mâché artists on the occasion of the Patronal Feast of the Visitation in honour of Maria SS. della Bruna and is destroyed in the traditional assault at the end of the festivities. For many months, the so-called Fabbrica del Carro became a large workshop, a "temporary workshop", where craftsmen transferred their work, dedicating entire days to the creation and decoration of the artefact and at the same time interrupting their daily work in their own workshops. A sort of home-workshop where the craftsmen actually live and work together.