In just a few days, this workshop immerses you in the fascinating world of metal chasing, right in the heart of Venice, a city synonymous with the decorative arts and metalwork. Surrounded by historic ironwork, sculpted palaces, and famous handcrafted gondola oars, Venice becomes a veritable laboratory of inspiration where heritage and contemporary creation are in constant dialogue.

You will discover the history of metal engraving, learn to handle specialized tools, understand the vocabulary of the craft, and master the fundamental principles of relief, texture, and surface treatment. An intensive and immersive experience to build a solid foundation, develop your understanding of the material, and take your first steps into a rare and spectacular craft.

By the end of the course, the trainee will be able to:

• Identify and name the main tools of the chaser (hammer, chisel, ball chisel, cement, mallet, files) as well as the corresponding techniques (matis tracing, repoussé, cast iron finishing, etc.)
• Reproduce the chaser’s main techniques in basic matis tracing, repoussé, and cast iron finishing, and handle the various tools
• Conceive and design an original decorative motif and determine which tools to use based on specific needs
• Understand the process of cementing a piece during production, including heating and cooling times
• Navigate and prioritize the steps involved in chiseling a piece, from motif preparation and decoration application to recessed or repoussé chiseling, including the various intermediate steps (annealing, deburring, cleaning, cooling, etc.)

In Venice, metal is an integral part of the city’s history. From the ironwork on palaces to the ornamentation in churches, not to mention the famous gondola oars, the lagoon preserves the legacy of a craft in which the material itself becomes decoration. As early as the Middle Ages, Venetian workshops developed a refined expertise in forging, casting, and metal ornamentation, making Venice one of Europe’s major centers for the decorative arts.

At the heart of this tradition lies metal chasing. This art of relief involves transforming the metal surface using hammers and chisels to create textures, patterns, and plays of light. Inherited from ancient traditions and then elevated during the Italian Renaissance, chasing lies at the intersection of drawing and sculpture, where metal is shaped without ever being removed.

It is this rare and demanding technique that Campus MaNa Venezia now invites you to discover through an immersive training program dedicated to metalwork. Designed as an intensive workshop, the program introduces participants to the fundamental techniques of metal engraving: tracing, matis, repoussé, relief work, and decorative finishes.

Throughout the course, participants learn to use the craft’s iconic tools—hammers, chisels, hammers, torches, and files—through a series of progressive exercises that allow them to explore the main decorative techniques, from flat work to bas-relief and even recasting.

More than just technical training, this immersive experience offers a true sensory exploration of the material. In Venice, the city itself becomes a source of inspiration: architectural details, weathered surfaces, metallic reflections on the water, and antique objects fuel a dynamic dialogue between heritage and contemporary creation.

Through this program, the MaNa Campus champions a contemporary vision of the arts and crafts: passing on historical know-how while opening up new creative perspectives on craftsmanship, ornamentation, and metalwork.

Schedule

Day 1

Morning

• Introduction of participants and the instructor
• Brief introduction to the history of chasing and its place in contemporary design
• Introduction to engraving tools and techniques through a series of exercises on brass plates
• Drawing lines with a scriber
• Setting the plates in cement

Afternoon

• Tour of the Doge’s Palace or St. Mark’s Basilica
• First steps with the tools / straight chisels

Day 2

Morning

• Continuing from the previous day’s exercises, exploration of the matis technique with an introduction to curved lines and curved chisels
• Exploring flat textural areas using a variety of matte chisels

Afternoon

• End of the exercise
• Reflection and creation of a first personal motif by each participant based on provided reference materials

Day 3

Morning

• Introduction to three-dimensional work using repoussé
• Setting a new plate in cement
• Tracing the motif designed the previous day using straight and curved chisels

Afternoon

• Setting the plates upside down in cement
• Repoussé of the negative form using hammers

Day 4

Morning

• Transition from repoussé to sculpture in the round
• Recasting the plates in the positive
• Finishing the decoration with textures

Afternoon

• Introduction to lost-wax casting
• Casting on models previously cast in bronze or brass (Example: small animal sculptures prepared in advance)
• Casting in cement

Day 5

Morning

• Introduction to relief chiseling
• Chiseling cast iron or brass sculptures

Afternoon:

• Completion of the chiseling of the sculptures
• Removing the pieces
• Training debrief
• Tidying up the workshop

Carole Serny

Carole Serny handcrafts exceptional pieces in precious metals and copper alloys. Her work is divided between creating one-of-a-kind pieces inspired by her personal vision and bespoke projects, carried out in collaboration with private clients, galleries, curators, as well as interior designers and architects.

Her creations reflect a free-spirited, lighthearted approach to goldsmithing, imbued with humor and unbound by traditional conventions. They draw inspiration from nature, architecture, and the worlds of art and fashion. Carole crafts each piece with sincerity, poetry, and precision, striking a balance between simple forms and contemporary ornamentation. Convinced of the need for a return to decoration after decades marked by minimalist industrial design, she advocates for ornamentation that carries meaning, capable of telling a story and giving each object a unique identity.

Originally from Chalon-sur-Saône in Burgundy, Carole has always been drawn to drawing and the art of line. As a child, she watched her parents shape their daily lives through DIY and manual activities—an early immersion that nurtured her sensitive connection to movement and the act of “making.”

It was at the École Boulle that she discovered the techniques that now form the foundation of her craft. A visit to the chiseling workshop was a revelation: the sound of the forge, the breath of the blowtorch, the rhythm of the hammers. Chiseling, a major technique in metal ornamentation, immediately became her chosen path.

In chiseling, pieces are shaped, hammered, and decorated using chisels of various profiles and a hammer. Every stroke is final: there is no room for second thoughts; every blow leaves its mark.
In 2019, Carole Serny opened her own workshop. She then deepened her skills in goldsmithing, the art of designing and crafting objects from precious metals. While many trades may be involved in the creation of a piece—turner-embosser, planer, polisher, chaser, engraver, silversmith, or gilder—the goldsmith remains the conductor, overseeing the technical planning, fitting, as well as hot and cold assembly operations.

Today, Carole works as a goldsmith and engraver in the Lot region, in the heart of the Causses du Quercy Regional Nature Park.

• Classroom, multipurpose room, workshops with professional equipment
• Supply of materials
• Individual and collaborative work
• Workshop-based work
• Active participation and experimentation by participants are encouraged

• Group and personalized progress tracking, regular updates
• Self-assessment of technical skills
• Group presentation
• Attendance sheet for each half-day
• Certificate of completion issued by Campus MaNa