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NO DIGITAL, PLEASE. UNIQUENESS IS THE REAL VALUE. by Olivia Rose A letter, a notebook, a handwritten diary, a bespoke handcrafted box, are not whims for a few bored rich, but a primary need for those who are still able to watch without the need for a screen, to write without the need for a keyboard, and to dream, while remaining well anchored in reality. For Daniela Prina, handcrafted paper maker, wealth – both moral and material - is not an NFT. In Brussels, lives a woman, Sardinian by birth, who every morning goes to her studio, looks at the handwritten order register, puts on an apron, and begins to work, rigorously following a timeless ritual. It starts with the preparation of the “size”, a mix of water and seaweed ("I recommend Irish Moss: the best!", she says) that is left to rest in a rectangular tank. In the meantime, the paints are prepared and thinned, so that they will float on the “size”. She then looks at her notes, perhaps taken a year earlier, related to that specific paper model, for that specific
customer, who always wants the same type of paper. Every detail counts in this craft process: the room temperature, the humidity of the air, the percentage of Irish moss in the water... Every day, Daniela Prina produces strictly handcrafted marbled paper. And, if you think of the old paper that is a bit sad and boring, well, you are wrong. With one-of-a-kind craftsmanship, this architectural and design historian (she can tell you, for example, how the papers were produced in the 18th century) has developed
