is a London-based design historian and writer exploring the intersections of craft-led design and contemporary culture. She collaborates with designers, brands and galleries, producing thoughtful content for editorial and exhibitions.
Daniella also works as an interior consultant for commercial projects, where she specialises in the integration of large-scale craft commissions and fostering partnerships with international designers and makers.
Clients include: Ambra Medda Office, Caroline Achaintre, Charles & Co, Cob Gallery, Contact High, Hazendal, Laura Bartlett Studio, Sainte Chanel Ltd, Themes & Variations Gallery, The Josef & Anni Albers Foundation, The New Craftsman, Tom Dixon, Wyn.
To discuss a project send her an email at studio@daniella-turner.com
15.07.23
In Conversation: Sergio Casoli and Ambra Medda
This week we have been thinking about individuals and spaces that break from convention. There are few people that embody this renegade spirit as much as gallerist and curator Sergio Casoli, who in 2022 relaunched his renowned gallery Studio Casoli in Filicudi’s fishing village Pecorini a Mare. It is a spectacle of sorts, finding itself both at odds and in complete harmony with its surroundings – a tiny volcanic island known for its turbulent elements, untamed nature and a back-to-basics lifestyle.
Once a week, two food vans arrive to Filicudi from Sicily, one for meat and one for vegetables. Their arrival sparks a frenzy across the island as residents descend on the vehicles before stock runs out. For the smallest and most wild of the Aeolian islands, daily life is about the essentials. There is a single pharmacy, no natural water source or ATM.
It is this distinct limited offering that makes Studio Casoli a space of bewildering curiosity. Nestled amongst Filicudi’s sparse terrain and jellyfish-laden rocky beaches, the gallery plays host to a canon of fine art and design heavyweights – from Peter Doig to Lucio Fontana and Barber Osgerby. The latter is the focus of the gallery’s current exhibition, From Island to Island, which brings together pieces from their archive with a newly commissioned tapestry produced in collaboration with Pisa-based master-weaver Laura de Cesare. Spotlighting the breadth of construction techniques that define Barber Osgerby’s practice, the exhibition considers the less-observed role of the handmade within industrial design.
The thing I most appreciate is your non-conforming attitude, particularly in light of the fact that as an industry we are increasingly funnelled into a singular vision. Studio Casoli feels very brave. What does the context of the island offer the works you exhibit?
It offers the possibility of having a better dialogue between Nature and Art.
Seeing the precision of industrial design set against the backdrop of Filicudi creates windows into very different worlds. What do you think has been the biggest takeaway for the local residents?
Despite their different cultural experience the way objects are used is similar.
Why is it important for exhibitions to exist in places less travelled?
Because they say Art has the power to save the World.
What is your dream for the gallery?
My biggest dream will be to open Lucio Fontana’s exhibition on the 29th of July in Filicudi. After all these years Fontana continues to be the most important inspiration of my life.
What’s next for Studio Casoli?
We want to keep a consistent line with our inconsistency.
In Conversation: Sergio Casoli and Ambra Medda
This week we have been thinking about individuals and spaces that break from convention. There are few people that embody this renegade spirit as much as gallerist and curator Sergio Casoli, who in 2022 relaunched his renowned gallery Studio Casoli in Filicudi’s fishing village Pecorini a Mare. It is a spectacle of sorts, finding itself both at odds and in complete harmony with its surroundings – a tiny volcanic island known for its turbulent elements, untamed nature and a back-to-basics lifestyle.
Once a week, two food vans arrive to Filicudi from Sicily, one for meat and one for vegetables. Their arrival sparks a frenzy across the island as residents descend on the vehicles before stock runs out. For the smallest and most wild of the Aeolian islands, daily life is about the essentials. There is a single pharmacy, no natural water source or ATM.
It is this distinct limited offering that makes Studio Casoli a space of bewildering curiosity. Nestled amongst Filicudi’s sparse terrain and jellyfish-laden rocky beaches, the gallery plays host to a canon of fine art and design heavyweights – from Peter Doig to Lucio Fontana and Barber Osgerby. The latter is the focus of the gallery’s current exhibition, From Island to Island, which brings together pieces from their archive with a newly commissioned tapestry produced in collaboration with Pisa-based master-weaver Laura de Cesare. Spotlighting the breadth of construction techniques that define Barber Osgerby’s practice, the exhibition considers the less-observed role of the handmade within industrial design.
The thing I most appreciate is your non-conforming attitude, particularly in light of the fact that as an industry we are increasingly funnelled into a singular vision. Studio Casoli feels very brave. What does the context of the island offer the works you exhibit?
It offers the possibility of having a better dialogue between Nature and Art.
Seeing the precision of industrial design set against the backdrop of Filicudi creates windows into very different worlds. What do you think has been the biggest takeaway for the local residents?
Despite their different cultural experience the way objects are used is similar.
Why is it important for exhibitions to exist in places less travelled?
Because they say Art has the power to save the World.
What is your dream for the gallery?
My biggest dream will be to open Lucio Fontana’s exhibition on the 29th of July in Filicudi. After all these years Fontana continues to be the most important inspiration of my life.
What’s next for Studio Casoli?
We want to keep a consistent line with our inconsistency.