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Eppe de Haan was born in Arnhem, Holland and studied art at the Royal Academy of Art in the Hague. Originally a painter, he came to Pietrasanta to try his hand at carving marble in 1995. There he started carving in a studio in Querceta before joining SEM Studios where the artisans shared their skills and experience.

As a figurative painter his work followed a similar theme as he moved to carving in marble and he specialises in the nude figure and face fragments.

Eppe is a fellow of the Royal Society of British Sculptors.

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Jim Hager, from California, has been carving marble in Pietrasanta, Northern Italy, for almost 30 years. He talks to us about his Sculpture for Homeless Project where he has captured the images and voices of the homeless in his home town of Oakland, California, and is creating an exhibition which will feature a cardboard “House of Cards” carved from one block of marble.

He speaks of his inspiration, and how he hopes his art can be a vehicle for social change. In a strange twist of fate, the studio he works in in Italy, La Polveriera is also under threat from the developers.

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Stephan Hamel – a brand catalyst who divides his time between Milan, Vienna and Pietrasanta – tells the story of his Italian grandfather laying marble in palaces in India in the years both before and after Independence from the British. 

Stephan reflects on the many ways in which marble has represented power over the generations, and observes that the artists may not always support the politics involved. He ponders on the number of dictators whose effigies have been commissioned in marble, and how many of those subjects were toppled from power before their statues could be installed.

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A woman artist often has to juggle family matters at the same time as fulfilling her own creative dreams. The seeds for Turid finding her way to Pietrasanta came from a chance meeting with the esteemed sculptor Helaine Blumenfeld when Turid was 18. However it took nearly 40 years for her to make her way to working in marble. Her story is one of strength and determination. 

She tells us about her Nuova Vita project - a series of baptism dresses, about 50 cm high, carved from a spectacular range of beautiful stones - and what she is expressing through them. Her inspirational journey shows how  we can all make strides in the face of life’s setbacks and how she took a chance on a new life.

Turid’s interview took place in the peach gardens of Studio SEM, founded in the 1950s by Sem Ghelardini and now run by American Keara McMartin. SEM collaborate with artists and sculptors from all over the world to produce marble and granite sculptures of all sizes and you’ll be hearing more from them during the series.

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Some materials are more resistant than others. They always say no. Armen tells us how he discovered a material that suits him. He speaks about marble, basalt and granite and the pros and cons of working in a close artistic community like the one near Pietrasanta.

Giorgio Angeli Studio di Scultora D’Arte is where Armen Agop works and it was here that Armen and Sarah spoke. Armen mentions how he first came to Italy when he was awarded The Rome Prize.

Armen exhibited at the Meem Gallery, a leading institution managing and promoting contemporary Arabic, north African and Iranian art.

Check out Armen’s website to keep up with his current activity.

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Maria is a figurative artist working mainly with the female figure. She was born in Caracas, Venuzuela, but studied at the Pratt Institute in New York before coming to Pietrasanta in 1973 where she was one of the few women carving in marble.

More recently, Maria helped fulfil the dream of a grieving mother who wanted a special memorial to her daughter who was killed by a drunk driver on a busy stretch of road by the seaside. She tells how the two of them came together to create the sculpture Spirito Libero to remember the girl and act as a warning to drivers.

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Materially Speaking starts with stories from the community of artists working in stone near Pietrasanta,​ a town in northern Italy. Successive generations of artists have been coming here to source the marble available nearby and work with highly skilled local artisans.

When Sarah saw how fast the lives of artists and artisans in this area were changing, she decided to capture their experiences. They share incredible tales of migration, identity and the strange effects of random acts of kindness. Additionally, they reveal stories of how one community dominated by a single natural resource adapts to constant change.