LORENZO ORI

MANIFESTOSOF THE TRADESAND PROFESSIONS

We have all had the feeling that other people do notproperly appreciate the work that we do. It often happens(well, it happens to me) that we ourselves are the most guiltyof undervaluing our jobs.

One day, when I was feeling particularly unappreciated, Idecided to draw up a list of all the activities that I carry out inthe performance of my job. “That way, the next time a clientcomplains about something, I can show them the list - in big,bold capital letters”, I thought. I never ended up using thatdocument to enlighten any clients, but it helped to remindme of how demanding, complex and skilled my job was. Itreignited my self-esteem and my passion for the work I wasdoing, and it was also the inspirational spark for this project.

I decided that it would be useful to transcribe the textonto a poster and put it up over my desk. There were somany words that they gave me the idea they could beconverted into an image. An image full of different meaningsbut with a single composite visual impact. The text had theadded quality of creating its own chain of mentalassociations, sequential themes, cadences, rhythms andrhymes. Why not add colour to the meaning of the words?What would happen if the colour of each word was arrangedsequentially with the colours of the words around it? Whatoverall effect would emerge?I soon set about satisfying my curiosity. I got to work on whatwould become the first Manifesto I produced, which is,naturally, the Manifesto of the Illustrator.

It turned out to be quite a long process. Every formalsolution that I attempted resulted in a different version of theManifesto of the Illustrator. During the work I becameconvinced that the idea had potential, and I realised that Ishould develop it by applying it to professions other than myown. I decided to refine the main elements of the project sothat I could present it to any friends or acquaintances whomight want to join in the ‘game’. They would then give meopportunities to experiment with the idea. A good projecthas to have a seductive element to it, and in this case itconsists in giving the ‘players’ of the game a chance torelate their stories and provide their evidence, and therebyfeel themselves engaged and invested in the task. Theresults have often exceeded expectations: playing thegame unearths motives and implications which havepreviously remained hidden or forgotten. This oftenproduces real catharsis, bringing out aspects of our workwhich are less evident, more intimate, more human…certainly more profound and representative than thoseappearing in a stereotypical job description. Finally, the experimentation stage. This project offersinfinite design possibilities to the illustrator. Each differentjob provides an opportunity to confront a new challenge, tolook for forms and patterns into which the words can beintegrated, to create a “visual narrative” out of the feelingsand scenes evoked by the words themselves.The first examples of work from the project are presented inthe following pages, progressively illustrating the pursuit ofthe formal objectives which I set myself.

Lorenzo Ori

This is my first ‘composition’, the result of makingthe word the protagonist. Creating a body of wordswhich as a single unit fills up the whole space, butat the same time presents infinite peculiarities,infinite details. The consequentiality of technicalterms, ideas, intentions, thoughts, actions. Thecolour palette is broad, free. Every word is‘emphasised’ by two contrasting colours. Takenoverall the sequence creates a heterogeneousimage, produced by the broad range of colours andthe strong chromatic contrasts, evidence of thefreedom of expression. No final vision waspursued. Every word ‘expresses itself’, therebydeveloping an effect of many singularities. Thecumulative result is accidental, but it emerges fromthe consistency of the comic-book aesthetic.

Design: Lorenzo Ori Production: www.creatori.euText: Lorenzo Ori

ILLUSTRATOR

*Michele Santeramo, playwright, actor, novelist.

The second manifesto.The opportunity to make this manifesto arrived thanks to acontribution from a well-known playwright*. All I suppliedwas an email containing a basic description of the project,and I promptly received in return not one but two separatetexts, each bearing witness to the ‘trade’ of the Writer!This episode allows me to point out a fundamental rule ofthe project: The texts which people supply always have to remain

unaltered.How then to approach a situation where, as here, two textsare presented? And, furthermore, where one is in prose andthe other in verse?The solution emerged as I developed a more detailedconcept of the manifesto.The palette is based on green, grey-green and blue-green.Green is the colour of the ego and of self-praise. Red andorange are used to provide intermittent lighting across themostly nocturnal environment. The alternation and contrastof the tones and colours is supplemented by alternationbetween the fills and borders. This previews a motif whichdevelops into a clear aim in the later works: the weft andwarp of the woven textures creating a unique abstractimage when seen in panorama, yet full of individual detailsand particularities when viewed up close.

WRITERDesign: Lorenzo Ori Production: www.creatori.eu

Text: Michele Santeramo

The motif which emerged in the “Writer” continues to takeshape here. To create the effect of weaving, vertical lines ofcolour in the warp are added to the horizontal lines in theweft. Colour transparencies are added to keep the weavingvisible, with each overlay creating more variations. Thisproduces a grid pattern containing countless gradations ofcolour.The text supplied by the author* is a yarn of the perfectlength and consistency for this tapestry. The words at timesseem to sink into the surface and then re-emerge,becoming integral elements of the weave.It is the first work in which I experimented with a secondcriterion: The author of the text can suggest certain colours which

they consider to be evocative of the locations,environments and moods involved in their work.

In this first example the colours specified by the authorwere: wood, red, black, white, orange, light/shade.So for the first time the palette was developed according tosuggestions from the author of the text. The results aresurprising: the ‘theatrical’ atmosphere is immediatelyevident.

*Angela Colucci, theatre manager, Florence.

Text: Angela ColucciTHEATRE MANAGER

Design: Lorenzo Ori Production: www.creatori.eu

*Elisa Buonandi, physiotherapist, Florence.

A minimum word count was specifically requested from theauthor of the text*, so that I could continue to use the“weaving technique” in the manifesto design.Accordingly, another criterion of the project becamedefined: the ideal length of the text. For the warp-and-weftpattern to be effective, the text has to be long enough. Thelonger it is, the more it is possible to generate the weavingeffect - which at this stage had become an almost obsessiveaspect of the project. The desired visual result is thatproduced by a decorative fabric.The formulation of the palette for this manifesto was alsoinfluenced by colours chosen by the author, and the resultagain seemed to match the aims and intentions. Thewooden colours of a parquet floor and the bluish-green ofthe walls of a rehabilitation centre are the elements whichevoke the working atmosphere and environment of thePhysiotherapist.

Text: Elisa BuonandiPHYSIOTHERAPIST

Design: Lorenzo Ori Production: www.creatori.eu

This author* responded very kindly to my request, andsupplied text which accords perfectly with the next set ofdrafting criteria: for the most part, use present tense verbs in the first

person singular; use single words, and strictly technical ones; don’t use sentences or phrases, especially complex

ones.The author followed these guidelines precisely and this isthe text which best reflected the conceptual tone of theproject, and still to this day remains its most faithful andeffective example. But on account of its brevity I was forcedto abandon (temporarily) my research into the stylistictheme of weaving.Accordingly, I opted for a metaphorical representation.Strategy, tactics, variables … well, why not draw acomparison between the Lawyer and a chess player? Theyboth make their moves within the context of a regulatedspace, but the formal prescriptive language of those spacesis translated, interpreted. Hence the ironic and slightlyirreverent presence of the icons, which might represent thepieces on the Strategist’s chessboard but which also haveto interpret the hidden meanings of a linguistic code whichremains a mystery to most people.

*Cristina Mariotti, lawyer, Florence.

Text: Cristina MariottiLAWYER

Design: Lorenzo Ori Production: www.creatori.eu

*Michela Negro, physical therapist, Pistoia

Thanks to the meticulous respect shown by this author* tothe specified criteria, the text supplied allowed me tocontinue experimenting with the tapestry effect.As in the other manifestos which share this stylisticelement, the colour palette was chosen in accordance withthe author’s indications. But when I was looking at thecolours she had chosen, I began to get the impression thatmost of them weren’t directly related to her surroundings atwork. They seemed instead to symbolise thoughts,memories, moods, impressions.Consequently, the final product prompts a symbolic readingrather than a literal, “environmental” one. We know thatcolours carry strong symbolic values. Some of these arerecognisably conventional, others can be interpretedsubjectively, evoking different responses from differentviewers. So we might conclude that within this scenariothere is something of the therapist, but also something ofthe patient.To the weave of warp and weft is added another thread: thetrace of an electrocardiogram, recurring from line to line, itsvital rhythm accompanying the performance of the work.

PHYSICAL THERAPISTText: Michela Negro

Design: Lorenzo Ori Production: www.creatori.eu

*Francesca Ricci, architect, Florence.

The architect creates. But what is the secret of the harmonicrelationship between the different dimensions? Among themost fascinating devices used since antiquity by manyarchitects is the so-called golden mean, the ratio of1:1.618…, also known as the “divine proportion”.This golden ratio can also be found in nature: from thepetals of a flower, to the forms of human anatomy; in thegeometry of leaves and of starfish; from the golden spiral ofthe nautilus to that of the galaxies.In the manifesto of the Architect, use is made of the goldenrectangle (or, to be exact, the Fibonacci sequence). Theproportions of the golden rectangle allow an infinitesuccession of squares to be created inside it, forming thegolden spiral.The palette consists solely of black, white and the primaryand complementary colours, grounding it in “thefundamental nature of everything”. This was inspired by thegolden ratio, with the express intent of demonstrating theharmonic use of colour.The text prepared by the author is subjected to theproportions which regulate the Manifesto: from the smallestsquare at the beginning of the spiral, through to the last andlargest square, there is a text, a figure, a thought, repeatingitself like a fractal being.

Text: Francesca RicciARCHITECT

Design: Lorenzo Ori Production: www.creatori.eu

*Benedetta Ori, clown doctor, Switzerland.

Of all the texts I have received, I have to say that the ClownDoctor’s moved me the most. It is a tormented tale, a delugeof emotion, full of doubt and pity, intensely human.The author* works in a paediatric hospital, in constantcontact with children who may at times be critically ill. After Iread the text the first time, I suggested that the manifestoshould perhaps be based solely on her words, in black onwhite, without any distractions or manipulation: the storywas too sublime to be spoilt by pagan hands.But the work of the Clown is not just to bear witness, andeven less to complain. To do their jobs effectively they haveto hide their emotions, learn how to set them aside. The jobof the Clown Doctor is to distract, entertain, and bring joyinto a landscape of sadness.So, it can’t all be transcribed and presented with force, withemphasis. It mustn’t overwhelm, or predominate. It’s almosta secret, a private affair. It must certainly be told, because itmatters to us, but it is also necessary to tell the Clown’s realstory: the performance, the magic, the amazement.AMAZEMENT! Only through the fog of the smoke machineand the swirls of confetti pouring down on the stage is itpossible to glimpse a fleeting expression cross the Clown’sface, of sadness, of resignation.The only possible palette, therefore, is the rainbow. Thechildish wonder aroused by the spectacle of the rainbow isthe same childish wonder aroused by the performance ofthe Clown. It holds the secret of light, of life, and of theephemeral.

Text: Benedetta OriCLOWN DOCTOR

Design: Lorenzo Ori Production: www.creatori.eu

*Luca Galli, surveyor, Florence.

The Surveyor is another study in the stylistic theme ofweaving. It was a troublesome work to complete. A numberof different versions were produced before arriving at thisone, the definitive product … though I never like to define apiece as definitive. I always prefer to leave a small gap inthe work so that I can return to it again, believing thatcompletion lies in being incomplete.The author* of the text had given me a very telling andrelevant piece of writing, but I hadn’t received any directionsrelating to colour. None of the palettes that I came up withproduced the consistent atmosphere that I was trying tocreate.Once again the author came to my assistance, by pointingout that, while the principal text he had composed was“unencrypted”, it contained a subtext: hidden, yet easy tosolve.I therefore decided to use highlighting to help unravel thelittle mystery concealed within the words, introducing anundercurrent which was mentally rather than visuallyperceivable. While working out the puzzle, one is suddenlyforced to follow a trail of thoughts: the thoughts of theSurveyor.This freed me from the need to use colours to weave acoherent and topical mood for the piece, because there wasalready a reading key helpfully built in. I decided to focus onthe etymology of the Italian word for surveyor, ‘geometra’ (ie,earth and measurement). This explains the palette: warmearthy colours blurring the lines between greenery and water.

SURVEYORText: Luca Galli

[Translator’s note: The highlighted subtext in the Surveyor’s manifesto:La professione del geometra è il mio lavoro. Lo amo e lo odio in egual misura. Consiste nel mettere a disposizione del cliente leproprie competenze per assolvere all’incarico ricevuto e seguire il lavoro con coscienza nel rispetto del codice deontologico.“The profession of the surveyor is my job. I love it and hate it in equal measure. It consists of making my skills available tothe client to complete the appointed task, and overseeing the work while conscientiously respecting the code of ethics”.]

Design: Lorenzo Ori Production: www.creatori.eu

Illustrator and graphic designer.Creator, founder and director of theCREAT Graphic Lab and curatorORIof the website/blog creatori.eu.His work is mostly created using computer graphics,occasionally in conjunction with other techniques. In thepast he explored at length various media of communicationand expression, from hand drawing and book illustration topoetry and songwriting. He was co-founder, drummer andlyricist for the underground rock band Ege Ninfa in the1990s.Through the deepening of his natural interest in verbal-visual languages, he developed an individual artisticexpression which falls within the literary-graphic genre ofVisual Poetry. He lives and works in Florence.

Forgotten TradesA project conceived and plotted following the Manifestos ofthe Trades and Professions. In this case, the work takes ona historical dimension.

Manifesto of the StudentCommencing with the first year of primary school andcontinuing through to PhD level: a Manifesto whichexpresses the thoughts of the student in each academicyear they undertake.

Love!A manifesto celebrating love in the different languages ofthe world, illustrated with warmth and joy in photographicportraits of children.

Via F.lli Bandiera 150137 - FIRENZE+39 055 582689+39 3889321354info@creatori.euwww.creatori.eu

The Manifestos may be purchased at the website ofCREAT Graphic Lab (www.creatori.eu).ORI

Dimensions: 500 x 700 mm.Print: digital on 230 gr photographic paper.Signed on the reverse by the artist.

Upon request, new Manifestos can be designed andcreated for any required trade or profession.

Graphic arts studio established and managed by Lorenzo OriThe studio offers the following design services: design of logos, logotypes, brands and labels graphic design of posters, playbills, book and magazine

covers, brochures, periodicals, postcards, businesscards, corporate and personal image

illustration website and blog design artwork

Via F.lli Bandiera 150137 - FIRENZE+39 055 582689+39 3889321354info@creatori.euwww.creatori.eu