Thursday October 13, 2016 – 6.30-8.30pm
Feliciano School of Business听Lecture Hall 101
For directions, select School of Business from听
厂别别听
This is the first event of the “Critical Made in Italy” series, designed by the Inserra Chair in Italian and Italian American Studies and inspired by a 2016 collection of essays edited by听Daniele Balicco听–听Made in Italy and Culture.
Focused on Italian design, this panel was developed in line with the Week of the Italian Language, which takes place every October worldwide as part of an Italian government鈥檚 initiative (its 2016 edition is entitled 鈥淚talian and Creativity: Brands and Practices, Fashion and Design鈥). The goal of the Oct. 13 panel at 精品成人福利在线 University is to stress the role of contemporary Italy as a major manufacturing power that is at the forefront of innovation 鈥 technological and otherwise 鈥 in a variety of fields involving design: fashion, furniture, electromechanics, etc. At the same time, the country remains the center of world-renowned artistic and cultural traditions and sites that identify it as the capital of the Dolce Vita. It is in this tension between past, present and future that Italian design offers a unique perspective on objects and environments and the ways in which people interact with them. By blending handmade practices with high-tech processes, and by producing stylish products that incorporate artisanal elements, Italian design has developed, since the pre-WWII period, but especially after the war, a unique aesthetic language that reflects a way of being in the world and a dynamic relationship with history. Provocative and ironic (and even self-ironic), Italian design continues to be a strong point of reference in the design sector, especially for its attention to the broader eco-system of contemporary life. Despite the internationalization of many Italian design companies, the very concept of Italian design still seems to have a distinctive story to tell about beauty, sustainability, and functionality, and this panel will investigate it from different perspectives.
Program
- Introductory remarks:听听(Inserra Chair, MSU) and听听(Feliciano School of Business)
- Brief presentation by听听(Co-Director MIX Lab / Associate Professor of Innovation Design) to launch the student contest ““
- Speakers:
Daniele Balicco听(EHESS听脡cole des Hautes听脡tudes en sciences sociales 2016-17): “Italian Design as a Form of Life”
Wava Carpenter听(Editor in Chief,听): 鈥淭he Marshall Plan, Milano, MoMA, Memphis: A Brief History of Italian Design鈥
“Italian Design as a Form of Life” – Daniele Balicco
It is not easy to determine a univocal relationship between design and national identity. Especially today, where the link between territories, cultural training, creation and production of objects is extremely open and globalized. Nevertheless, it cannot be ignored that some countries have been able to create a distinct and recognizable style in the international market. In this regard, the Italian case is very challenging. Its seductive profile can be in part described in connection to its specific cultural history and geography: the nature of the relatively small, but extremely heterogeneous Italian territory lying for centuries at heart of the Mediterranean cultural exchanges; the enigmatically artificial nature of the Italian language and its intimate relation to an international tradition of music; the history of Italian craft traditions and their relationship with the myth of the Renaissance as an archeology of modernity; the relatively late clash of the Italian culture and society with industrial modernity; and the peculiar theoretical training of Italian designers (mostly architects) and their ideological link with anti-establishment movements. Through the intersection of all these “traces”, it may be possible to qualify the multidimensional nature of the Italian style as a “pleasurable” form of modern life.
Daniele Balicco听is Visiting Fellow in Theory and Critical Studies at the EHESS (脡cole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales) of Paris. His theoretical work lies between cultural history, aesthetics and economics. In his first book –听Non parlo a tutti. Franco Fortini intellettuale politico/I Don’t Speak to Everyone. Franco Fortini, a Political Intellectual(Roma, 2006) – he analyzed the relationship between听political power, the aesthetic dimension, and financial capital. He has continued to focus on this topic as the editor of a special issue of听Allegoria(2014) devoted to Edward Said as a political thinker –听Lotta politica e riflessione estetica in Edward Said听/ Edward Said between Politics and Aesthetics. These themes are also central to his more recent work as editor of the volume听Made in Italy e cultura. Indagine sull’identit脿 italiana contemporanea听(Made in Italy and Culture. Inquiry into the Contemporary Italian Identity, Palumbo 2016). He also works as a freelance journalist for the newspaper听Il Manifesto. He lives in Rome.
鈥淭he Marshall Plan, Milano, MoMA, Memphis: A Brief History of Italian Design鈥 – Wava Carpenter
This presentation traces a particular history of Italian design from 1945 to today through the lens of a few key exhibitions and promotional efforts, including the Marshall Plan, the Triennale di Milano, the Museum of Modern Art, and more, which have shaped the conversations around Italian production over the last 70 years. The history of Italian design from the postwar era to today exhibits a great variety and breadth鈥攆rom the artisanal to the industrial, from the decorative to the conceptual. Its identity, however, has been rather consistently described in terms that highlight only a limited set of characteristics: artistic, expressionistic, exuberant, spirited, and the like. From the heyday of modernism to the postmodern rebellion and beyond, its promotional vocabulary鈥攚hether academic or popular鈥攔emains static. These associations have been viewed as both assets and shortcomings.
A specialist in modern and contemporary design,听听is Director of Content at Pamono, an online magazine and marketplace dedicated to distinctive design objects, past and present, and the stories behind them. Since graduating in 2006 with an MA in Design History from Parsons The New School for Design in New York, she has produced original, design-centered content in a variety of contexts, including cultural and commercial exhibitions, event programs, magazines, and scholarly journals鈥攐ften in collaboration with luminaries from the global design community.Between 2006 and 2012, she wore many hats at Design Miami鈥攆rom Director of Culture & Content to Acting Director鈥攚here she curated numerous exhibitions and commissioned projects, and was responsible for, among other things, orchestrating the show鈥檚 programming, including Design Talks, Design Performances, and Design Awards. Formerly, Wava held a Fellowship at the Cooper-Hewitt, working on exhibitions, such as听Second Skin听and听New Design from Israel, and taught Design Studies at Parsons. Her graduate thesis was titled, 鈥淒esigning Freedom and Prosperity: The Emergence of Italian Design in Postwar America.鈥
More information about rules and deadline for the “Student Contest: Italian Design Revisited at MIX Lab, 精品成人福利在线 University” will be coming soon.
- Spearheaded and sponsored by听听(), the program is presented with the cosponsorship of the听听and the听听at 精品成人福利在线 University, and in collaboration with the听听for the听听(Topic: Design e lingua “L’italiano e la creativit脿: marchi e costumi, moda e design鈥) and the听听at 精品成人福利在线 University.
Resources
Made in Italy
听– (Il Sole 24 Ore, article in Italian)
听(Il Post, article in Italian by Gabriele Centazzo – see in particular page 2 and 3)
听(in Italian)
Depressi da politica e crisi? Fate un salto a NY听(La Repubblica, Oct. 22, 2016,听听in Italian by Federico Rampini)
(Repubblica.it, Nov. 24, 2016, interview with Andrea Illy – in Italian)
Italian Design
ADI (Associazione per il Design Industriale)听
听(CNN article)
“Italy鈥檚 Economic Design in Times of Crisis” (2014听听on Munari exhibit)
听webpage (contains听)
听on Italian design (Design Museum, London – see also main selection from collection, including a number of听: Vespa, Alessi kettle, and Valentine typewriter)
, Wired.it (article in Italian)
Italian Design in New York:听鈥淗ow Italian Designers Left Their Imprint on Global Graphic Design.鈥 ()
听(video)
听(MAXXI, Rome, Fall 2016)
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