Innou designs the Chalice of the Sagrada Família together with Capdevila Joiers.

The project, that finished being designed in 2017, finally comes to light and already presides over the Masses of Gaudí’s Temple.We consider as one of our greatest honours.

One morning we received an unusual visit at the INNOU office. I say unusual because he proposed a way of working that, to be honest, did not convince me at all. Manel Capdevila, a jeweller whose trade dates back four generations, had an interesting project on his hands. Something he didn't tell us about for a few weeks. Something that was better than any award, because the honour of designing it was an award in itself.

At INNOU, we are used to serving customers by appointment, since we sign non-disclosure agreements with brands and entrepreneurs who trust us to design their products.

The day we met, Manel told me that his lifelong wood-modeller had retired, and therefore needed help with a prototype. He had found us on the Internet, and he liked our study. He had ideas but needed experts to help him make them come to life. In addition, he wanted to replace the artisanal way of working with a more modern way, and we introduced him to the world of 3D-modelling and 3D printing.

But then his conditions came: he wanted to work on-site with the designers, to be able to speak about and discuss everything from sketches to 3D modelling, with him being present for part of the process. After discussing it, we reached an agreement: we would give him a certain time slot, where we would make sure that there was nothing that he could not see. A few days later, Manel Capdevila began to work hand-in-hand with our designers, giving life to an idea whose end user was unknown to the rest of us.

The idea came along as the jeweller was looking for little by little, and one day we were curious about that mysterious prototype. “What is it about?”, “What is hidden behind so much mystery?” we asked. Manel looked at us as if the time had come to confess something important, and he told us that it was nothing less than the design of the chalice of the Sagrada Família. At that moment I remember that it was a great surprise, and I remembered how I was about to reject the project a few months ago. I internally sighed with relief. You never know what you might get hold of!

Manel and Dani worked together and modelled their ideas day after day, including all concepts, geometries, volumes, proportions and finishing touches, interpreting Gaudí's concepts. Little by little, it became a producible size, and we 3D-printed it, with different technologies. We made about three itineraries until the idea settled and we went ahead with the 3D-printing, with the measurements, proportions and sections that Manel requested. For this, we use from FDM to SLS technology, which allows more precision.

From Innou, we also learned a lot from this project. In his workshop, Manel uses traditional means of lifelong jewellery modelling which, when blended with technology, resulted in a perfect collaboration. Recently, because of the tenth anniversary of the Basilica of Sagrada Família the design has been published, and it already presides over the Masses and religious acts of the Temple. In addition, the design that we have made together is very much in accordance with the geometry and construction of the Sagrada Família, as if Gaudí himself had modelled it with his own hands.

The chalice is made of a single piece and is reminiscent of the primitive and Romanesque tradition of chalices. The chalices is designed with circular outline and hemispherical volume, is finished off with a horizontal strip of polished silver that forms part of the interior of the glass itself. The base is square and provides firmness and stability. The cut or stem adopts a stylised shape, and some edges stand out, which refer to the author's source of inspiration and to one of the most characteristic architectural elements of the temple: the interior columns.

In addition, just as the main nave of the Sagrada Familia is a forest populated with tree-columns, the chalice reflects this same idea of the union between heaven and earth. The square at the base, a symbol of man and human reason, rises as the edges multiply, reproducing the upward movement of the columns, and changing section until it becomes a circle, a form of perfection and a symbol of divinity. Regarding the materials, both the chalice and the paten have been made with chiselled, hammered and oxidised silver.

 Finally, it should be noted that due to the pandemic the basilica remained closed for many months, but since the 29th of May, it has reopened its doors for all those who want to visit it. It is definitely worth a visit!

Credits:

Manufacture and Jewlery by Capdevila Joiers www.capdevilajoiers.com

3D Design and Additive manufacturing by: . www.innou.eu

National Geographic & Básilica de la Sagrada Familia videos :