Milan Design Week 2023 takes place from April 17 to 23 under the theme "Future Tides, Design Leads". The theme expresses the exploration of future design trends and innovative ideas, as well as the important role of design in leading future development. With the rapid development of technology and the continuous changes in society and the environment, the future is full of endless possibilities and challenges. Milan Design Week will be a platform for designers to showcase their insights and imaginations about the future, and to explore design solutions for the future of society, life and the environment. At the same time, this theme emphasizes the important role of design in leading the future. Design, as a force for innovation and creativity, can lead social, economic, cultural and environmental change. Please see the live report brought to you by Art & Design Magazine's reporters.

During Milan Design Week, in addition to several important exhibitions, there are also many important design museums and exhibitions to see. This time, our reporter invited Mr. Luciano Galimberti, president of the Italian Industrial Design Association and director of the ADI Design Museum, to personally show us the important exhibition of the ADI Design Museum about the Golden Roundel Award ( Compasso d'Oro, one of the most important industrial design awards in the world, is wrongly translated as the Golden Compass Award in China) and the Italian design system.

The ADI Design Museum in Milan, which opened in 2021, showcases classic design since 1954 and is dedicated to spreading the Italian design thought system, promoting the integration of design and production while showcasing the works of design masters, uniting the wisdom of Italian culture, and making an important contribution to making Milan a cultural center with international influence.

The ADI Design Museum is located in a former industrial area between Via Ceresio and Via Bramante, formerly the Milan tram and Enel distribution plant, adjacent to the multicultural Paolo Sarpi district of Milan's Chinatown. Renovated by Migliore + Servetto Architects and Italo Lupi, the design incorporates modern design elements into the historic building space, extending through the glass to the outdoor space, opening up the space to break the limitations of the previous layout and integrate it with the surrounding environment. The participatory and experiential way of visiting the building allows the design to be brought closer to life and to blend naturally into the city and public space.

Exhibits in the ADI Design Museum Collection

This exhibition is part of the collection of the ADI Design Museum, and is one of the most important exhibitions for a comprehensive understanding of Italian design, including the Golden Circle Award and the entire Italian design system. Founded in 1954, the Golden Circle Award is the highest honor of Italian design and the oldest and most prestigious design award in the world. The logo is based on the special circular gauge invented by the physicist and painter Adalbert Göringer in 1893, known as the "golden divider", to show the pursuit of perfection. 1954 was the most important edition of the Golden Gauge Award, as it was the foundation of the award. In 1954, shortly after the end of World War II, Italy was a defeated country, and as a defeated country, Italy was torn apart. It was not a complete country from the economic or human point of view, so the first edition of the Golden Circle Award in 1954 reflected the reflections of Italian design at that time. After World War II, to recover from the post-war situation, as a designer, it was necessary to think about where the country would go in the future. Where is the way forward?

After more than half a century, the 28th edition of the Golden Gauge Award has accumulated a rich cultural heritage of Italian design, and the products that have made it to the hall of the Golden Gauge Award are the "Best the best".

The first award-winning works covered all aspects of life, that is to say, the designers at that time thought that design should be everywhere in life. These included work scenes, such as typewriters and chairs; life scenes, such as sewing machines; and some leisure scenes, such as toys. The reason why these works were awarded is that besides its own beauty, the most important thing is that it brings us a new way of life.

This perfume bottle, for example, is a perfume bottle for travel. One can imagine in 1954, Italy as a defeated country, in the case of not having enough to eat and wear why Italian designers would design a so-called useless perfume bottle, which precisely represents the ubiquity of Italian design in life.

This little monkey is a toy. Before 1954, all toys were either made of wood or iron and were very expensive to build. That is to say, only the children of rich families could afford to buy toys. But this small monkey toy design is very cheap, ordinary children can also afford to play with this toy. A small monkey looks very insignificant, but it is a very interactive toy. This product of this packaging design is also very interesting, is a small cage, children can imagine the little monkey out to play during the day, the night to close back to sleep in the cage, to help children create a fairy tale world.

And this set of porcelain plates. Before 1954, there were only two kinds of Italian tableware, one was a large flat plate and one was a small plate, and in 1954 a third kind appeared, this is the set. This set can be placed inside the sideboard stacked, this stackable form is an innovation. From 1954 to now, there are 70 years, and now the young Italian designers are still inspired by the idea of 1954, but with a more modern design language.

By the time of the second Golden Circle Award in 1955, Italian design began to focus more on everyday scenarios and to think about how to optimize these designs. The lamp that won the second Golden Circle Award combined the most advanced technology of the time. Before 1955, all light bulbs were transparent and had to be matched with a lampshade, otherwise the eye could not see straight. This invention is to add a coating inside the bulb, you can look directly at it with your eyes. LED lights are also inspired by this.

In 1956, a very famous event took place in the world - plastic was invented. The application of plastic in our daily life can be seen in the 1956 Golden Circle Award. This very simple looking plastic bucket is a perfect representation of Italian design. It is not only the aesthetic design, but also the relationship between the product and the person behind the product. The plastic bucket is designed with a hard ring on the top to prevent water from spilling out when the bucket is lifted. And the ten kilogram capacity of water is very heavy, this design will make the bucket better to be lifted. And the plastic bucket adds a very versatile design detail, which is in the shape of a Frisbee, very romantic, giving people the feeling that they are not working but playing.

In the first edition of the Golden Circle Award, we saw the whole Italian design system, and from the fourth edition, we can see its functional and poetic nature. This glass vase reflects the combination between Italian craftsmanship and industry. We all know that Italian glass is very famous and is made purely by hand. The designer has added modern craftsmanship to this work, so this product reflects the combination of traditional craftsmanship and modern technology.

By 1959, people were no longer satisfied with their lives at home, so the Golden Circle Awards were all about travel at that time. For example, the Fiat 500, by far the best-selling car in Italy, can also be seen in the movie "Roman Holiday". The car's lights were conventional, but slowly it was realized that having a means of transportation wasn't enough, and that the speed of that means of transportation had to be increased. Therefore, in 1960, all the winning entries were related to this. From this we can see that the Italian demand for design is a continuous process of upgrading, from the beginning to meet only the most basic needs in life, to gradually expand their quality of life: to travel, to have a car, the car should be fast ...... At this time the design and production of Ferrari sports cars, yachts, helicopters are all related to high-speed. With travel, the natural began to appear more and more travel-related products. For example, this tent is the Golden Circle Award-winning work in 1960. In 1960, the market also designed a mobile TV, this portable appliances more convenient to use during travel.

What has changed with the creation of this coffee machine is the relationship between the customer and the merchant. Because the original coffee machines were operated in the back of the house, this coffee machine can now be operated in front of the customer, thus allowing the merchant to interact with the customer.

The lamp, which won the Golden Gauge Award in 1967, can be adjusted by turning the outer shade to adjust the intensity of light. In addition to meeting functional needs, it also incorporates the concept of solar eclipse, which is very poetic.

Starting in 1967, Italy produced a lot of classic designs. This moveable phone functionally divided the ordinary telephone into two parts. One part of the landline allowed the user to fix it in one place; while in the other part, the designer designed the handset separately so that people could walk to any place to answer the phone. From this time on, the design produced a more elegant gesture in addition to satisfying industriality.

Golden Gauge Award Winners 1970

1979 Golden Circle Award Winners

From 1970, Italian design took on a very vibrant color. Because in 1970, Pop Art started to emerge in the United States, which directly influenced Italian design. Between 1970 and 1979, the Golden Circle Award was stagnant for nine years, and then nine years later, in 1979, the whole color system changed and became black and white and gray. In 1979, modular furniture began to appear in Italy. For example, this sofa, which is the first sofa with adjustable backrest in the history of Italy. At this point, it is also an important point in the history of Italian design - the previous design was constantly adding functionality and aesthetics to the product, after which designers began to reinterpret these products and give them a new meaning.

By 1984, the design frontier was still expanding. The design we see now is the only student work in the entire history of the Golden Circle Award. It is an inclusive design, which not only focuses on Italy, but also has a broader international perspective. So this award is to encourage this kind of more inclusive and open design. This hiking shoe combines different materials together, and from the side you can see that the sole has a yellow waterproof layer. Looking at this hiking shoe now, it may seem very ordinary, but in the context of 1987 society, it was a very big innovation and technological leap forward.

This lamp is one of the most sold Italian-style lamps in the world. This lamp is very common in Italian movies because it is itself combined with art and it is functional to the maximum extent.

Many Italian design works were first considered to be cost effective, because the raw materials in Italy were not very abundant, so it was necessary to use creativity to make flowers out of some cheap materials. But since 2004, this awareness has changed, and many luxury goods also need to use design to raise their visual perception to a high level. For example, the 2008 award-winning work, the yacht, was worth 2 million euros, and this time, Italian designers began to emphasize a better quality of life.

Another change we saw in 2014 was that previously all the winning entries were molded products, but in 2016, parts were also available as winning entries, such as wheels and brake pads.

The museum's town treasure is this Ferrari sports car. If we talk about the price/performance ratio, it is the worst. This Ferrari has one feature - no roof, but when you run, as long as the speed exceeds 70km/h, the flowing air will become the roof, and it can even insulate the rain - that's what the design is all about.

Art & Design Interview (Excerpt)

Q：How is Italian design reflected in the lifestyle?

A：First of all, I think that in the social history of Italy, if we look at the big stages, the first period it is pragmatic, and the later period goes beyond this pragmatism. If we divide this into a phase, then it is actually not a chronological order but a horizontal opening, divided into four levels.

The first level reflects the precision of Italian design, which expresses the Italian way of life in the most beautiful and poetic way with the greatest precision.

The second level is the relationship between human and nature in Italian design. Because Italians respect nature very much, we imitate nature and strive to be close to it and have better interaction with it.

The third design feature is very much about the relationship between people and objects. For example, that sofa over there is like a mother's embrace, so that there is an emotional connection between you and the object.

The fourth level is that the relationship between the work and the society can be seen in the design, bringing a reflection on the society and lifestyle. So Italian design is very humanistic, it is always concerned with nature. Nature and humanism are two very important key words in Italian design.

All these dimensions we have just mentioned are throughout the history of Italian design. We can easily judge the design of various regions and countries from the aesthetic level, but there is no such standard in Italy, because the humanism of Italian design is higher than aesthetics and permeates in the design.

Q：How did the Italian design system evolve step by step to what it is today?

A：I think the Italian design system is indispensable in all aspects and is a holistic presentation. From the founding of the Italian Republic to the establishment of the Politecnico di Milano two years later, the whole Italian design system was built on an academic basis; in 1954, the ADI Italian Industrial Design Association and the Golden Gauge Award were established to spread Italian design excellence through an award; in 1961, the Milan International Furniture Fair was established to spread Italian design again through an exhibition and trade. In 1961, the Milan International Furniture Fair was established, and Italian design was spread again through a trade fair and trade, each step contributing to this complete system. Today, Italian design is not a single person who can be the main protagonist, but several large design institutions are also the board of directors of each other. Just like ADI itself is an association, but it also cooperates deeply with schools, and design awards, etc. These communication systems, product systems, and academic systems interoperate and integrate to form the entire Italian design system, and move forward as a whole.

Q：Words for Chinese designers?

A：I think the first point as a Chinese designer is to believe more in and strongly believe in your own cultural traditions. In fact, China is in fact very similar to Italy in many cultures. In Chinese culture, there are many philosophies of man and nature, man and society. For example, China has been talking about the unity of heaven and man, and Italy is the same as this very old philosophy model. But for a long time, in fact, Chinese design was criticized, but I think that as time and people understand more and more, more and more young people in China now are still learning, with cultural confidence, to express the excellent culture of their own country can be. Where are the roots of Chinese culture? Chinese designers should use this as the basis to bloom more prosperous flowers.

Article Source:艺术与设计

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