On the Italian island of Sardinia stands a structure known as La Cupola. When two women saw how deterioration had robbed it of its former beauty, they felt duty-bound to restore it. Rising to the challenge with cleaning implements in hand, they spent days scrubbing and cleaning the ruin—and then vanished.
Who were these two women? What drove them to take action? What did they discover when they did?

What It Means to Archive the Old

Scalzo’s activities leave no physical trace, so they are difficult to summarize simply. “Our basic premise is a way of thinking that seeks to touch the soil and connect people with nature,” explains Ashley. They had originally envisaged projects and performances with business in mind, but what had touched their heartstrings was the exact opposite. To advance their business, they knew, the most important thing was to create emotional moments. “We are always questioning societal norms and what remains as part of humanity’s legacy,” says Camilla. “Whether it’s architecture, spaces, music, or tools, we started with the goal of preserving things that are reaching the end of an era and are about to vanish, archiving the good from the past. For the past two years, we’ve celebrated tradition in various ways.”
“We support people in remote areas who resist being swept up by the mainstream, and we do what we do for the joy and love of ensuring that the traditional things we can believe in continue to exist.” This is the work Scalzo engages in. They have curated collections of ancient crafts to sell on the street, and sell raincoats made in Italy’s Maremma region—once a symbol of Italian artisanry, but now a vanishing trade due to the lack of successors. At Milan Design Week, in a one-night-only event held by the Georgian design duo Keti Toloraia and Nata Janberidze, they captivated the audience with a performance featuring a white horse and an equestrian, set to traditional folk music, in a restaurant-turned-rave that suddenly fell silent. Now, they serve meals once a month at a small workers’ club in the south of France, where elderly members come seeking the companionship of their peers. A caring heart seems to be at the heart of everything they do, but do they see it the same way?
“We’re only acting in accordance with our thinking,” says Ashley. “The idea of care is that it’s such a human or even an animal thing—it’s built into our nature. And I think the idea of touching people is at the core of our project. The effort you put into something and why you do it.”
“When I think about the concept of care,” says Camilla, “I see a feminine form, connected to motherhood. Notwithstanding that many men have a feminine side, the word has a very feminine ring to me.”
Both women see Dante Bini as an architect with a powerfully caring heart. “Antonioni asked Bini to build him a house where he could experience the sea, the soil, granite, the rain, the sound of wind, fragrances—indulge all five senses—without going outside. Bini obliged by putting a hole in the roof to bring rainwater into the house, planting herbs indoors for their aroma, and designing the structure so that the sea was visible from every window.”
“Maintenance” is a word that expresses care itself. In order to put something into a better state, we work on it, making additions or repairs as necessary. Give it a try and you might find it as pleasurable as walking barefoot. Speaking to Camilla and Ashley reminded me that it is physical joy and heart-pounding exaltation that bring us to life.

Camilla Ginevra is a curator, design consultant, and art director from Italy. A passionate horse rider, she lives in Provence with her partner and their two sons. She is currently working on the Scalzo project in collaboration with Ashley Helvey. @camillaginevra_

Ashley Helvey is a creative director from the USA, now based in Paris. She has led editorial projects for numerous brands, mainly within the fashion and advertising industries. She co-founded the monthly magazine MONOGRAM, which highlights one photographer per issue. @ashleyhelvey