L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 6 NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS immediate future." There is another idea of i n t e r e s t , o n e t h a t w e l l describes the extraordinary mix of art-architecture- t e c h n o l o g y - i n n o v a t i o n - r e p r o d u c i b i l i t y a n d i c o n i c i t y I t a l i a n d e s i g n c o n d e n s e s s o p e r f e c t l y . "Sometimes -- Boeri says -- w e o n l y n e e d t o l o o k a t w h a t w e h a v e t o u n d e r s t a n d t h a t , w h e n a s s e m b l i n g e a c h o b j e c t with another differently, we do more than adding, we m u l t i p l y a n d w e c r e a t e . This means single objects gain new value within a new, different composition. Italian design has always been a great example of t h i s a p p r o a c h . T h i s i s w h e r e w e n e e d t o s t a r t from." The event was at once cultural and commercial, social and digital, it was a p a r t y a n d a s t a g e , i t c o n d e n s e d i d e a s a n d u t o p i a s , a n d o f f e r e d a triumph of furniture and u n u s u a l o b j e c t s , a l l presented in a space where the necessity to reconstruct o u r r e l a t i o n s h i p w i t h nature, raw materials and o u r e n v i r o n m e n t a l footprint became adamant. But what we saw there is a f u t u r e t h a t c a n h a p p e n . 6 0 , 0 0 0 p e o p l e c o m i n g from 113 countries, had the c h a n c e t o s e e t h e m a n y visionary, creative objects of the Salone. Objects made t o r e d e s i g n t h e w o r l d a r o u n d u s . T h e y w e r e c e r t a i n l y f a s c i n a t e d , p e r h a p s s u r p r i s e d b y t h e m : t h e s e o b j e c t s demonstrate that daring m e a n s p o w e r a n d t h a t imagination can change the world. As our President Sergio M a t t a r e l l a s a i d , t h e Salone del Mobile and the Supersalone are a winning bet. Mattarella wanted to be personally present for the inauguration in Milan, o n e o f o u r c o u n t r y ' s economic power houses, to e x p l a i n s w h a t a r e t h e e x p e c t a t i o n s o f a s e c t o r w h e r e I t a l y r e m a i n s a reference point and a step a b o v e t h e r e s t : " T h i s occasion brings together business bravery, creativity, imagination and culture, a n d i t ' s e x t r a o r d i n a r i l y meaningful for the country, f o r i t s r e n a i s s a n c e a n d recovery. The true meaning of the Fiera di Milano is this: being a meeting and confrontation point from w h e r e o u r c o u n t r y c a n m o v e f u r t h e r i n t o t h e international market, but also a stepping stone for our internal market, so that it can start again fully and w i t h s u c c e s s . " T h e FederlegnoArredo's Study C e n t e r n o t e d t h a t t h e sector has been growing, with a production worth around 39 billion euro (46 billion USD), of which 15 billion coming from export ( 1 8 b i l l i o n U S D ) , a workforce of 300,000 for 71,500 businesses, and an overall positive balance of 7,6 billion euro (9 billion USD) per year. S o , i t i s n ' t a c a s e i f M a r i a P o r r o , t h e president of the Salone del Mobile, describes the event as "A detonator, or better, a catalyst, just like those in chemical reactions. It helps t h i n g s h a p p e n a n d a l s o o f f e r s a c o m p r e h e n s i v e view of them." B e t w e e n C o v i d - 1 9 passports and tests at the entrance, but also thanks to a p l a t f o r m t h a t a l l o w e d p e o p l e t o v i s i t t h e f a i r online, visitors experienced 1900 projects and got to know 425 brands, 16% of which from abroad, in 6 days. There were also 39 independent designers and the work of 170 students from 22 countries; more t h a n 3 0 , 0 0 0 s e c t o r operators and buyers, 47% o f w h o m c a m e f r o m abroad. The Salone was an international success, with almost 1,800 journalists from all over the world and an incredibly active social media presence: 1,5 million pages viewed, with 90,000 daily users; the Salone's TikTok account had more than 630,000 views during t h e e v e n t , w i t h t h e f o u r social media networks used r e a c h i n g m o r e t h a n 1 5 m i l l i o n l i k e s , 2 5 , 0 0 0 interactions and 50,000 video views. An incredible result in such times, but also a sign o f h o w t h e p a n d e m i c changed us. We want to meet for real, but we still need virtual connections, just like tables, sofas and fabrics cannot exist without sustainability, quality and research. Is this the end of creativity? Absolutely not! Who could have envisaged a n d w o r k e d o n t h e c o u n t r y ' s r e n a i s s a n c e better than designers and architects, creatives and visionary talents? The objects themselves showed we want change. Each hall was filled with armchairs, chairs, poufs, sofas, tables and coat racks; the outdoor ambience was c h a r a c t e r i z e d b y l i v e l y colors. Every environment was deeply expressive. This type of design can interpret and decode reality. Colors become expression of deep psychological notes, they a r e s t r o n g a n d v i b r a n t , b e c a u s e t h e y r e p r e s e n t people eager to come back to life, making social space their own again. But they are also subtle, enhanced by dim lighting to furnish r e l a x i n g s p a c e s a n d rediscover the pleasure of home as a place to rest, but also to work in. Interpreting, understa- n d i n g , e x p r e s s i n g a n d giving shape to people's needs.This is what design does by questioning reality, studying the way society c h a n g e s a n d c h a n g i n g perspectives. This is just w h a t t h i s e d i t i o n o f t h e S a l o n e d e l M o b i l e - - a r e n a i s s a n c e e d i t i o n - - intended to do, offering visibility and becoming a powerful recovery driver for a sector that is already i n f u l l r e c o v e r y m o d e . D e s i g n i s g o o d f o r o u r economy, because, among other things, it isn't only beautiful, but also an act of c r e a t i v i t y u s e f u l t o t h e p r o d u c t i v e c y c l e a n d , t h e r e f o r e , t o I t a l i a n business as a whole. And we shouldn't forget that Italian designers have been part of our home and social life rituals with their futuristic decorative objects for long. They understand contemporary times and can anticipate the quick evolution of societies. They f a c e d a n d s o l v e d n e w p r o b l e m s , c r e a t e d n e w products and opened new markets, sought alternative m e a n i n g s f o r o u r d a i l y actions. If it's true they are the ones who need to get the meaning of the world to u n d e r s t a n d t h e r i g h t direction to take for the f u t u r e , t o d a y ' s r e a l c h a l l e n g e i s f i n d i n g t h e r i g h t s y n t h e s i s b e t w e e n t e c h n o l o g y a n d sustainability, efficiency a n d l i m i t e d w a s t e o f m a t e r i a l s a n d e n e r g y , recycling and reusing. Of c o u r s e , w i t h o u t e v e r forgetting about Beauty. Continued from page 4 The history of design through … chairs, as seen at the Supersalone this year (Photo: Andrea Mariani)

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