An Immersive Experience with Dodo Arslan. Castle and Foundry in Chianti
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Overview
An experience that does not promise the immediate creation of a work, because true art requires time, but it accompanies guests inside the creative and technical process that transforms a dream into matter. Through an exclusive journey between a historic Chianti castle and a working artistic foundry, guests discover the ancient lost wax casting technique while beginning to shape their own personal artistic vision with Italian designer Dodo Arslan, recognized by Taschen as one of the 90 leading designers and manufacturers worldwide.
Included Privileges
- Private meeting with artist Dodo Arslan in a historic Chianti castle
- Guided tour of the Fonderia Artistica Del Giudice with demonstration of the lost wax casting process
- Personalized preliminary sketch created and signed by Dodo Arslan based on your dream/concept
- Exclusive symbolic bronze object, pre-made by the artist, signed and hand-engraved with a personal dedication
- Dedicated packaging for the symbolic object
- Transfer coordination between castle and foundry
- Option to discuss future commission (not included in base experience)
Itinerary
- Guests gather at a private castle in the Chianti region (e.g., Castello di Verrazzano), just minutes from the foundry. In an exclusive setting, Dodo introduces the theme of the day: the passage from idea to form. Each guest shares a personal dream, symbol, or desire to be translated into an object. The conversation focuses on meaning, not technique. Dodo listens, interprets, and asks questions. Here, the concept is born.
- Transfer to the Fonderia Artistica Del Giudice, where guests experience the stages of lost wax casting firsthand (more details in Experience Details)
- In a reserved space, Dodo creates a preliminary sketch on paper inspired by the guest's dream. The sketch is conceptual, dated, and signed. It becomes the trace of a possible future work, unique, personal, and full of potential.
- To ensure a concrete object to take home, Dodo presents a small bronze work created exclusively for this experience. During the day, the piece is signed in front of the guests, personalized with a hand-engraved dedication, and delivered in dedicated packaging. This object represents the memory of the day, entry into the artist's world, and a first collectible level.
- For those who wish to transform their dream into a unique work, a subsequent commission phase begins. This includes in-depth project development, technical modeling, study of dimensions and materials, detailed quote, production times, and economic agreements. The work will be created as a unique piece. In this phase you have the opportunity to discuus with artist Dodo Arslan the actual creation in bronze.
The Experience
Phase 1 — The Dream (Meeting Point in a Chianti Castle) Guests gather at a private castle in the Chianti region (e.g., Castello di Verrazzano), just minutes from the foundry. In an exclusive setting, Dodo introduces the theme of the day: the passage from idea to form. Each guest shares a personal dream, symbol, or desire to be translated into an ob...
Why Guests Love It
“To learn from Dodo is to be in the presence of a true maestro. His ability to draw out your personal poetry is nothing short of genius.” — Gabriella, Mexico
Meet the Expert
Dodo Arslan
Dodo Arslan is an Italian designer with over 25 years of experience, recognized by Taschen as one of the 90 leading designers and manufacturers worldwide. He lives between Italy and Florida and specializes in the design of furniture, lighting, furnishing accessories, and industrial products, collaborating with some of the world’s most influential brands. His studio assists architects and interior designers in the conception and realization of custom-made furniture, light installations, and art design projects.
Among his collaborations are Banca Svizzera Italiana, Bimota, Campari, CITCO, Emera, Fonderia Artistica Battaglia, Fonderia Artistica DeAndreis, Hands on Design, Italy-America Chamber of Commerce, Jacuzzi, Mandelli1953, Mesa Design, Pirelli, Riva1920, Terzani, ToBeUS, UNIQ-Ǝ!, UPGroup, and Venini.
His Otto armchair was featured in the “Le Attrazioni della Materia” exhibition and included in the Permanent Collection of Italian Design. Two of his works are part of the permanent collection of the Campari Design Gallery, and his creations have been exhibited in Berlin, Beijing, Bilbao, Cape Town, Gwangju, Istanbul, London, Madrid, Milan, Mumbai, San Francisco, Santiago de Chile, New York, and Shanghai, including at the National Museum of Science and Technology in Milan and the Arnaldo Pomodoro Foundation. His works are also sold by the prestigious Belgian auction house Pierre Bergé & Associés in Brussels.
Arslan won the Young & Design Award, Mini Design Award, Pirelli Pzero Award, Art Directors Club Award, Design Plus Award, Good Design Award, and the KIDA Grand Prize. He has conducted courses, workshops, and lectures in Italy, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Croatia, Egypt, the USA, and Sweden.
Notable projects include Nove, a bronze table created using the ancient lost-wax casting technique (cire perdue), commissioned by Fonderia Artistica Battaglia in Milan, and the design and sculpture of the BSI Centenary Foundation Award trophy for the Italian Swiss Bank of Lugano, whose tencast models have been awarded over the years.
Before founding Dodo Arslan Studio, he worked at Studio & Partners (N. Bewick, M. De Lucchi, T. Fritze, E. Torri) on projects for Deutsche Post, British American Tobacco, and Zumtobel Staff, achieving the Design Plus Award, and at Continuum Studio (Milan–Boston–Seoul) on projects for Motorola, Hewlett Packard, Elan, Voelkl, and Samsung, winning the Good Design Award and the KIDA Grand Prize.