At what age did you approach the craft of forging?
In my youth I used to go to high school in the evening while during the day I was working in a factory that made metal components for lifts. At the age of 16 I was awestruck by that universe, but as much as I try, I still can’t understand why.
When did you set up your own workshop?
In 1997, together with a good friend of mine. The first years were extremely rewarding: we were always busy and very successful. We furnished a number of nightclubs in Milan and created some objects for the windows of Gianfranco Ferré’s flagship store. Then the economic crisis struck.
Tomas Bertelsen © Michelangelo Foundation
How did you overcome those hard times?
By approaching the world of design, which is very important for Milan. I trained a number of students from the Polytechnic and one of them, Andrea Capriotti, has since become my right hand man. Thanks to our vision and our skills, we can develop a project from A to Z.
In what way can you bring innovation to an ancient craft?
By experimenting. We have an artistic approach that pushes us to explore unprecedented forms of expression. We use a cutting-edge technique that enables us to weld together metals that melt at different temperatures, such as bronze, which melts at 800 degrees, and steel, which melts at 1,400 degrees.