L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MARCH 23, 2017 www.italoamericano.org 28 L'Italo-Americano SAN FRANCISCO ITALIAN COMMUNITY O n M a r c h 2 n d , S a n Francisco celebrated the First Italian Design Day. Hundred Italian institutes world- wide greeted designers, entre- preneurs, journalists, and profes- sors, who acted as Ambassadors of culture and helped understand the impact Italian design has today on art, philosophy, and society itself. Industrial designer Giulio Iacchetti was the Ambassador for the Bay Area, after being elected by the Milan Triennale Art and Design Museum. Born near Cremona, Lombardy, Mr Iacchetti, 50, discussed Italian d e s i g n i n t h e p o s t w a r t i m e , focusing on the features that make it unique and explaining the reasons behind its huge suc- cess. Together with his experi- e n c e f o r b r a n d s l i k e A l e s s i , Foscarini, Globo Ceramiche, J a n n e l l i & V o l p i , H a s t e n s , Meritalia, Moleskine, Pandora design, Mr Iacchetti also carries out an intense academic work f o r s e v e r a l u n i v e r s i t i e s a n d d e s i g n s c h o o l s , i n I t a l y a n d abroad. I t a l i a n C o n s u l G e n e r a l , Lorenzo Ortona, introduced Mr Iacchetti to the audience point- ing that "San Francisco is a g r e a t c i t y t o h o s t i n d u s t r i a l design events and that's why we are participating with Italian p r o f e s s i o n a l s t o t h e D e s i g n Week this coming June". He stated. "Giulio is the perfect design Ambassador of Italy and his talk with Marina Pugliese c o n v e y s t o t h e p u b l i c t h e strength of combining the tradi- t i o n a l e x t r a o r d i n a r y I t a l i a n handcraft world with the genius vision and experimentation of our designers". Giulio, when did you fell in love with design? Officially when I was 25, however I have been interested in creating things since I was a little kid. I belonged to a large family and there were always moments when to look for solu- tions to some sort of issues or problems. All members of my family used to do so using cre- ativity first. That's what they taught me as a child and that les- son is still somehow with me. A s o r t o f t r a i n i n g t h a t became something else over time… My father taught me how to fix problems and how to turn precariousness into something positive. When you have very little, you try to do more. My grandfather used to craft wood, my uncle worked with marble, my dad did not specialize in using a certain material, howev- er the lack of specialization was a source from which to glean ideas. As a kid, I loved to play music but we could not afford a bass guitar, yet my dad helped me make one from scratch. Giulio considers his educa- tion path as a sequence of mis- takes: he left architecture studies after only two years, then he attended a design school which left him unsure about the future. O n l y l a t e r o n , h e e a r n e d a d e g r e e i n C o n s e r v a t i o n o f A r t i s t i c A s s e t s . W h i l e h e i s proud of such achievement ("It d o e s n o t m a t t e r h o w l o n g i t takes, yet it should make you happy", he said), Mr Iacchetti took a moment to reflect on today's role of designers in soci- ety. Would you call yourself an artist? Artists are meant to work w i t h e m p t y s p a c e s , w h e r e a s d e s i g n e r s a c h i e v e t h e i r b e s t goals when dealing with limits. Being a designer in Italy means SERENA PERFETTO Giulio Iacchetti Explores the Leading Role of Italian Design in the World to open yourself towards the world and to all human beings. I'd say designers and architects live in a human dimension that allows them to do whatever they want. How did your experience working at well-known Italian companies help your career? I l e a r n e d h o w t o u s e m y knowledge and skills for a vari- ety of projects, designing objects for different spaces and purpos- es. As human beings were at the core of those works, I dealt with both the freedom and the respon- sibility coming with them. A designer's idea will never be rel- evant if it doesn't become a tan- gible product. The connection between design and industrial world is not only strong but also crucial. How is design supporting today's Italian economy? Italian companies have just one destiny: working with "il bello", all the stunning things that make people's life better. Everybody in the world looks up to our design and takes the chal- lenge to compete with it, in a p o s i t i v e w a y . T h i s b e a u t i f u l game has been helping Italian companies grow for years. As pointed by Mr Iacchetti, companies, schools, and maga- z i n e s i n M i l a n a l s o g i v e a n e s s e n t i a l c o n t r i b u t i o n t o t h e industry. The Salone del Mobile is a unique experience in both the Italian and the global scenar- ios: any given design week in the w o r l d l o o k s a t t h e M i l a n ' s Furniture Fair as a model to fol- low. That's the context where the idea of an Italian Design Day in the world was born. "I think this is a great oppor- tunity" Mr Iacchetti said. "This started as a proposal from the M inis try of F oreign A ffairs , because they finally understood that design is strategic. I am glad to be part of a group of people who want to express the value of our design on welcoming diver- sity and representing the Italian spirit in the world." What do you think of your role as Ambassador? I am proud of it, of course. I also believe that, in the future, it can become an opportunity to showcase Italian projects and to allow new generations to learn about them. I would like to see new relationships between the industry's professionals and the institutions. It would give Italian designers a chance to tell their stories abroad and the cultural institutes the possibility to host exciting events. Giulio Iacchetti was the Ambassador for the Bay Area of the First Italian Design Day. Ph: Istituto Italiano di cultura San Francisco Facebook page Italian Community Services provid Bay Area Italian-American seniors and famili with trusted rourc to help them live healthy, independent and productive liv. We are commied to honoring and prerving the Italian language and culture, with an emphasis on the strength and suort that com om family, community, education and goodwill. Casa Coloniale John F. Fugazi 678 Green Street San Francisco, CA 94133 415 •362 •6423 www.italiancs.com . . • Translation for seniors /new immigrants • Community service coordination • Information and referrals

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