Murano glass: a millenary tradition to be preserved
Gilles Clément, French landscape architect and botanist, argues that biodiversity is better preserved in the islands, in particular the animal and plant species that then remain unique over time, such as the Galapagos iguanas or Sardinian vineyards never affected by the phylloxera. This reasoning can also be applied to human activities and the arts: in the Venetian archipelago, the island of Murano (which is itself a small archipelago) has managed to specialize and preserve for many centuries the art of glass, which has now disappeared. in the rest of Italy, arriving in 2016 to see the Abate Zanetti glass school officially recognized, founded in 1862 as a Higher Technical Institute.
For centuries, thanks to the creativity and manual skill of generations of families of glass masters, Murano was the world cradle of artistic glass and today Murano glass constitutes one of the most refined forms of artistic craftsmanship in the world, deeply linked to its roots and historical traditions.
The current photograph of the Murano glass district
The processing of Murano glass represents a heritage that today is in danger of disappearing and which must absolutely be protected: to do so, shared rules and a comparison between categories and institutions are needed. The Filctem CGIL Venezia trade unionist, Michele Pettenò, described the current state of the Murano glass district: «There are 100 companies, 600 employees, one in 4 residing on the island, twenty-five million estimated losses in 2020 and a tomorrow without certainty. Most companies are getting on with layoffs: orders are falling, no tourists and exports continue to show no signs of a restart. Murano - says Pettenò - is the island that risks disappearing », under the coup de grace of the pandemic.
«From some data collected we can argue that the average turnover of companies in the last ten years has dropped by almost 40% - continues Pettenò - and that counterfeiting continues to represent a problem. When you buy a Murano glass object you also buy a part of the district's history: an object that is not perfect, but unique in its being ».
Regarding employment, on the island of Murano today it is guaranteed by social safety nets; the average age of workers hired on permanent contracts is around 43 years old.
The trade unionist Filctem also mentions the problems of counterfeiting, tax evasion and company closure: «Today the district is in dire need of new rules and planning to tackle issues such as employment, health, taxation and protection of the original. Ours is a cry of alarm - he concludes - we know the fragility of a district recognized all over the world, in which it is not machines but man that make the difference. For this, and for the value it represents for Venice, a comparison between all the institutions and trade associations is needed. We need transparency and clear rules, adequate professional figures, the Abate Zanetti school should become the starting point and protection of this excellence, which creates excellence ».
