As the VICODE team, we seek projects that transcend the object. MALLES – Shaping Stories struck us with its ability to unite craftsmanship, local tradition, and human values, placing the people who create them at the center.
We spoke with Vittoria Capresi , who is following the production of MALLES – Shaping Stories from Tunisia, to find out how the project was born, the work of the women of Sejnane, and the meaning of our collaboration.
How did the MALLES – Shaping Stories project come about, and what vision drove you to create it?
The idea came after a few visits to Sejnane, speaking directly with the artisans. They explained that one of the biggest challenges is selling their creations: currently, they only have a few tables along the road, catering to the very few tourists or locals who pass by.
Then there is a fair in Tunis, around April, where they exhibit and sell, but the competition is high and the costs are equally high.
What's really missing is a certain regularity in income, to be able to transform this work from a hobby into a real paid activity.
This is where the idea of creating MALLES was born: to market ceramics abroad through events and contacts with designers and architects. More events mean greater demand, therefore higher production and more regular revenue.
With MALLES, however, I wanted to go beyond the object itself. Whoever buys it receives not just a ceramic, but also a set of postcards that tell the story of the woman who created it. I want whoever picks up an object to know the name of its creator and be able to hear her story. I want women to become visible along with their creations.
Why did you choose Tunisia as the heart of the project and what struck you about this region?
Tunisia actually chose me. I live here for work, working on a project in Libya, and MALLES was also born as a way to stay in direct contact with this country.
Living here, I've become increasingly interested in the area, its UNESCO sites, and I continue to explore and discover even today. During one of these visits, I came across Sejnane, and that's where it all began.
Who are the women who are part of the MALLES community and what role does craftsmanship play in their daily lives?
I work with eight women, divided into two family clusters. In Sejnane, we speak of extended families: multi-generational households living together in clusters of houses organized around a courtyard, in the countryside.
There are about a hundred registered artisans, often elderly. Unfortunately, the new generations don't seem particularly interested in continuing this tradition, and this is very sad.
Women produce pottery in addition to all their other daily chores: they work in the fields, tend the animals, milk the cows, raise the children, and prepare food for the whole family.
I honestly don't know where they find the time and energy to devote themselves to ceramics, which is physically demanding work. They collect clay from the riverbeds near their home and work it barefoot in the courtyard, outdoors, even in uncomfortably hot temperatures.
How does craftsmanship become a tool for autonomy and identity for them?
The artisans of Sejnane want to be seen. They want their work to be recognized as art. They are proud of what they do.
Producing ceramics is a way to distinguish themselves and identify themselves as part of the community: they know they are precious, that they possess knowledge that few have.
Sejnane pottery was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2018, not so much for the objects themselves, but for the social value they represent.
Making their work known also means making the women behind the objects visible and recognizing them. For this, I am grateful to VICODE for its role in bringing these creations outside of Tunisia.
The shapes of the MALLES vases are very material and imperfect: what do these objects tell?
As stated in the 2018 UNESCO dossier, these ceramics originated as everyday objects, for cooking or baking bread. Only later did they become decorative objects.
The shapes derive from the very nature of the material: the clay used is very coarse, typical of North Africa, and the firing takes place in open ovens, over an open flame, at lower temperatures than traditional ovens.
This is why the surfaces are irregular, the burns uneven. It is precisely this imperfection that constitutes their beauty.
How do you balance contemporary design with respect for traditional local techniques?
I usually let the craftswomen work freely, but sometimes I intervene and suggest some ideas.
Sometimes we discuss whether an idea is feasible or not, and the next time it's wonderful to see how each of us has interpreted the same suggestion in our own way. From a drawing or a conversation, new, unexpected forms emerge.
Why did you choose VICODE as the online promoter of MALLES and what convinced you of our approach?
VICODE is a perfect window for MALLES. A window because it allows you to see what's behind objects, highlighting their aesthetics as well as their craftsmanship and human touch.
Furthermore, VICODE allows for unique pieces, and this is fundamental to me. The artisans work by hand, and each object is unique: it's impossible to replicate it identically multiple times without completely distorting the production process.
This aspect is by no means a given in online sales, where people often look for standardized items. MALLES "catalogs" are always different, because they consist of unique pieces.
VICODE has understood this uniqueness and enhanced it, transforming it into a strength.
