Massimo Casiello, tornitura artistica del legno, Basilicata

My name is Massimo Casiello and I am a wood turner. My passion for handcrafts comes from far away, but I approached the art of turning to escape the all day life in Milan and Rome, where I used to have a job in the information technology field.

In 2008 I came back to my hometown Matera, a city that inspires my work every day. The year after that my art studio was ready.

I recreate the ancient timbri per il pane , wood-stamps that till the 70ties were used by every family in Matera to recognize their own bread, homemade and baked in the common bakery oven.

According to the tradition I create wood stamps with personalized monograms, which I carve at the very moment while I like to chat with my costumers.

I also teach kids to use u’ strìmml, a spinning top with a metal-tip thrown by a string, that was used in the old times in tournaments played between the different neighbourhoods of Matera, the Sassi. A very "glocal" play, known since the dawn of time.

Through my work I mean to increase the value of tradition and I carry on this way to bring back old crafts like turning, sculpture, intaglio and marquetry to realise unique creations made by wood: a living and natural material that can help everyone find his own identity.