Italian Design

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2010-04-11T16:26:00.001+02:00

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Renzo Piano "Fare Architettura" - Cersaie 2009

2009-10-21T14:28:00.005+02:00

Young architects, students, journalists, actors, professionals, enthusiasts and curious: more than 3 thousand people are all here for him. When Renzo Piano takes the stage at Cersaie 2009 in Bologna, a big applause starts the Lectio Magistralis: "Doing Architecture".

"For students who join the faculty," says Piano, "the advice is to travel. Do not spend too much time making sketches. The academy is dangerous. And above all do not listen to anyone." Go your own way. Without stopping. "Even when they try to convince you that what you want to do is impossible. Impossible is the word I know in all the languages of the world."

"Visit the site before starting work is critical, even when, as in the Osaka Airport project, it means to contemplate the sea”. "When I showed the airport project, people were speechless. They thought it was just scaffolding. Is it finished, they wondered. Yes it is finished like this, I replied. Remember this too: it is not always necessary to explain everything."

"And then you always have to deal with human nature. The art of listening to people is the most difficult one, as people have difficulties in expressing what they need: the ones who talk the most are the ones who have less to say."

Enjoy this talk, posted on you tube by "konigsadler", who was so nice to share it. The talk is in Italian.

Sofa Dining with Style

2009-07-14T10:12:00.005+02:00

I'm proud to introduce Sofaware, the first dining set ever made for enjoying dining on the sofa. His shape is designed to fit perfectly in your hand, yet it allows to contain your dinner. It is common to eat on a sofa especially among singles and young people. But we haven't got the right-tool-for-the-job until now. Traditional plates are too big and heavy, to hold them they force your hand in an awkward position. They were designed to eat on a table. This uncomfortable use makes dining on a sofa a questionable event. Instead celebrate your meals on a sofa with style. Have a date with yourself! Enjoy a fully set... sofa. Sofaware is handmade in Italy and it is patent pending.

100K dream home

2009-01-26T22:20:00.006+01:00

One among the projects I liked at the last Biennale in Venice is the 100K dream home. Besides the low environmental impact, interesting is the "dream" part: the modular home is flexible to create six different types of home based on their occupants' dreams and lifestyles. The "casa bunker" not an expression of style but a refuge, open only to a few. The "casa focolare" is where family comes together, subject to change more frequently. The "casa officina" is made for its practical and daily usage, while the "casa tenda" is the typical student nest. Lastly there are the "casa forum" open and friendly, and the "casa teatro" able to entertain with the style of its owner. More information on www.casa100k.com

Design Mix by Giulio Cappellini

2008-10-06T09:45:00.010+02:00

Abitare il Tempo, the 23rd edition trade fair for interior design just ended in Verona. A memorable experience was visiting the exhibition "Design Mix", by Giulio Cappellini. An investigation into the evolution of quality in the history and culture of design, conducted through the selection of products which have represented significant changes in the application of techniques, materials and innovative processes, as well as new types and styles of solutions in the context of living. Products were scattered through a large grass field and illuminated by show lights. It was like walking through history, great minds thoughts, emotions and ideas.

Time of Genuinity

2008-07-22T14:43:00.007+02:00

The time of appearance is ending. Genuinity is the new leading value. Maybe it is because we discovered that the truth it is more interesting than appearance, even with its imperfections. It is unique and has its own story and reason to be. It is important for designers to focus on creating genuine objects and communicating the genuine purposes behind them. These go behind the physical aspect of the item or the preciousness of the materials used to create them. It is tradition, caring and attention to details. The growing interest on how things are made or function, or on the history and philosophy of their companies proves it.

Organic Design

2008-06-09T14:56:00.013+02:00

I loved this talk by Ross Lovegrove. I was amazed by the simplicity and the effectiveness of his words about shapes. Besides, he reminded me that, in his words: "it's great that in Italy there are companies that support this way of dreaming".

MILANODONNA 2008

2008-04-23T17:26:00.007+02:00

The prize MILANODONNA, dedicated to women who have contributed to the cultural and social growth of Milano, this year was consigned by the Mayor of the City of Milan, Letizia Moratti, on May 20th to stylist Mila Schon, cardiologist and psychotherapist Cristina Mondadori, singer Ornella Vanoni, restorer of Leonardo Da Vinci's 'Last Supper' Pinin Brambilla, president of Poldi Pezzoli Museum Maria Luisa Spaini Rivolta, founder of Vidas (association that nurse terminally ill patients) Giovanna Cavazzoni, the director of Teatro delle Marionette Cosetta Colla, and design entrepreneur Maddalena De Padova. It was an honor for me to design its trophy and to participate to this ceremony during which, Ornella Vanoni, performed this timeless song.

Industrial or not Industrial

2008-03-11T10:45:00.010+01:00

I was faced with the choice, while selecting which of my ideas develop and turn into products, between products that are easily industrially or mass produced and products that require specialized craftsmanship. It so happens that the latter usually have a higher emotional value and a strong personality, nevertheless the two categories of products differ for costs and geographical place of production: countries with a strong tradition of specialized craftsmanship versus Asian countries. As Industrial Designer I should focus on mass produced products, but industrial products end up competing with products made in Asia, a difficult match for a small company like mine. However, because of the costs involved in experienced craftsmanship, these products are considered Luxury Products, which are also tricky due to the incoming recession we all keep hearing about. How to succeed in this scenario?

Luxury is not defined by what can only be afforded by a few anymore. Luxury is something where choice is not made on function, but inspired by lifestyle and self-expression. Luxury is an object with a meaningful, inspiring, shared-value story attached to it. A product not mass produced, but made of people talent and time, a talent often passed on from generation to generation in the case of Italy, it is a luxury product, and not because of its price. As defined, luxury, the one that ultimately nurtures our soul, I believe can survive through – and help us endure – difficult times.

Physical and Virtual World

2008-02-14T13:55:00.001+01:00

As the interaction between these two is getting more sophisticated, boundaries between them are disappearing. Interacting with a friend on a web conf call is practically the same as in physical presence, the same way the gesture of moving a picture to go to the next one enters the virtual world.
This gives us (designers) a great deal of possibilities. We can combine qualities typical of the virtual world – speed, limitless, waste-less, collaboration, flexibility, etc. – with the ones of the physical world – multi-sensory, three-dimensional, aging, light-affected, etc. Furthermore interactions between people and physical-virtual objects can become (and create new) relationships involving emotions, identity, history. While interactions imply reciprocal actions, relationships also mean reciprocal growth, affection and predictability.

It is a general trend, boundaries are more or less rapidly dissolving, like in nature where states are so gradual that changes are almost imperceptible to us. Think about the distinction between near and far, local and global, young and old, man and woman, inside and outside. A boundary marks a change: a change is an opportunity and it is also more or less traumatic depending on how big are the differences between before and after. It is possible that this general evolution towards melting boundaries will bring us peace and serenity. Happy Valentine's day.

The design event of the year

2008-02-05T16:00:00.000+01:00

If you can take some time from the 16th to the 21st of April, come to the Salone del Mobile: the International Furniture Fair of Milano. Last year it had 270.000 visitors (of whom 165.000 coming from foreign countries), and 2.000 exhibitors. It is not really only a furniture fair, it includes everything that is designed. The week of the fair, Milan transform itself into a inspiring party town: during the evening, many design stores host amazing events open to the public and there is a silent competition on who will host the most innovative, surprising, elegant event of all. Interni magazine in March publishes a little book with all the “fuorisalone” (meaning “outside-salone”) events organized by date... you have to take your pick, it's impossible to go to all. Worthy of note this year, director and painter Peter Greenaway will animate the Leonardo Da Vinci Last Supper with lights and sounds.

I love walking on the streets of Milan the week before the fair, every design store has the window covered and you can peek people working, architects supervising, nervous owners, day and late nights till the very last minute before the fair starts.

Artisans from the North of Italy

2008-01-17T10:47:00.000+01:00

Without them there would be no Italian Design. They are the silent partner of any designer. They are as passionate about a project as the designer. Each time I went to visit one – above are pictures and video I took – they showed me with pride books and pictures of previous project they worked on. Not only they are skilled craftsmen and know the technology they specialized in inside-out, but also they are experimental, they courageously try things that were never done before, willing to solve problems as they arise. Maybe at first they tell you that it cannot be done but then... they are not able to say no to a challenge!
The majority of the "Made in Italy" is made by their experienced hands, harmoniously mixed with the latest technology. When I visited Poltrona Frau, I saw in the same production line a laser cutting numerical controlled machine to optimize the cut of the leather and manually charged springs, bound by hand, one by one.
Legend says that the Nord of Italy has had all this skilled artisans for generations because the King build his Palace – the Villa Reale – in Monza and he needed a huge amount of furniture for it, so farmers around the Palace - during the quite times of the winter - started to make furniture. Who could have predicted how important this Palace would have been for us?

Shape comes by itself

2008-01-11T17:31:00.001+01:00

"If a designer can speak about his project for at least 10 minutes, he made a design, otherwise he made a shape" Mario Bisson, Architect and Professor of "The Languages of Design".

The shape of an object is not the goal of a design, it is a result of the design process and, if the process is well executed, it comes out by itself, effortlessly. Instead, the goal of a design is human innovation: what is enhanced in behaviors, habits, emotions.

The video shows a short version of my 10 minutes speech about a light Philip Mes and I designed for pedestrian areas of the city of Milan.

NOT for your eyes only

2008-01-10T12:20:00.000+01:00

What is Italian Design? Better yet, what is design for an Italian (me) who got educated on the subject by an Italian school (the best ;-)) and breathes every day the air (polluted!) of the capital of design - Milan - contributing to create objects that will be (hopefully!) part of the design heritage? This blog is about answering this question.

Let start with a subject most dear to me. An object of design is not only something that is visually and aesthetically pleasing. Since to appreciate an object of design you need to fall in love with it, let's use this example. You can find the most physically attractive girl (or boy) and be deeply attracted to her (or him), but as the time goes by, if there isn't anything else, the attraction disappears and you don't notice the beauty you once saw. Aesthetically pleasing do exist, but it is temporary and it is subjected to trends. This is not design. It is style and fashion.

Having said that, an object of design needs to be visually pleasing, even if this is not an easy requirement to verify because it is highly subjective. A fundamental requirement of an object of design (note that this could be a physical object, as well as a place, physical or virtually interactive) is having an identity: it is consistent with its concept, it has a purpose, and it communicates a message, intellectually and emotionally.