Museo del Novocento, Milan - Wednesday June 8th 2011
Visitors of the Museo del Novocento become immersed in the integration of modernity and tradition.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
A Simple, Clever Idea
Well here is a great idea! Ever notice how when you're eating gelato that the edges melt the fastest and drip over the sides of the cup, leaving a sticky mess? Of course you have! While eating gelato one day in Florence at my favorite place called Grom, I was given a unique plastic spoon. It had a small notch cut out of it. This notch allowed you to scrape along the edge of the cup, easily capturing all the liquified gelato without spilling a drop! The notch was small enough, however, to still allow you to shovel as much gelato as possible into your mouth. Yes please!
Ciao,
Lindsay
KARTELL
Kartell Museum and Shop, Milan - Wednesday, June 8th, 2011
I recently wrote a post about the history of Italian design and how the design style changed through-out the years. Today, June 8th, we went to the Kartell museum. I found it really interesting to see how Kartell’s design history and style timeline compared to ADI's idea of Italian design. They correlated perfectly. Here are some products and their years of production so you can see the similarities.
I recently wrote a post about the history of Italian design and how the design style changed through-out the years. Today, June 8th, we went to the Kartell museum. I found it really interesting to see how Kartell’s design history and style timeline compared to ADI's idea of Italian design. They correlated perfectly. Here are some products and their years of production so you can see the similarities.
A Quick Look At the Boboli Gardens
If you’re looking for a beautiful area, huge bug bites, or just a great place to walk around, then check out the Boboli Gardens! The gardens were obtained in 1549 by the Medici family, and were opened to the public in 1776. They are one of the largest and most elegant of the numerous gardens in Italy. There are tons of beautiful sculptures and fountains littered throughout the 11 acre property. Though the sculptures were not as staggering as Michaelangelo’s David, they were incredible to look at! They really added to the regal, grandiose aura in the gardens.
Italy – A country teeming with history
Florence - Wednesday, June 8th, 2011
While walking down the street in Florence I noticed some interesting features that seemed to be integrated into the bricks (and doors) of many buildings. I did some research and found out that these elements were once used for lighting the streets with torches, and hitching horses up to the building (old fashioned parking lots!). I also enjoyed the tremendously ornate door knockers/handles. I think it’s very interesting that most of the architecture in Italy is so much older than what we would consider "old" in North America.
Museo Kartell - The Timeline of Products
Kartell Museum, Milan - Wednesday, June 8th, 2011
Museo Kartell features an exhibition where a timeline composed of four different lines is used as a backdrop, each of these line has a keyword attached to them. Products are displayed as pieces of sculpture placed behind glass or on tables. The featured products along with the timeline clearly demonstrates the development and changes in the production of Kartell.
Newest Addition to my Wish List
Alessi Museum, Milan - Wednesday, June 8th, 2011
Watching the twenty of us flow into the Alessi store was like watching children in a candy store (however cliché that metaphor may be). The amount of wide eyes, bright smiles, excited pointing and drooling (ok, that may have just been me actually) was kind of silly.
Watching the twenty of us flow into the Alessi store was like watching children in a candy store (however cliché that metaphor may be). The amount of wide eyes, bright smiles, excited pointing and drooling (ok, that may have just been me actually) was kind of silly.
After this visit, I have a new addition to my wish list...
The Fruit Basket Tea Set by Sanna
Alessi - Frozen Products
Alessi Museum, Milan - Wednesday, June 8th, 2011
On June 8th, we visited the head office of Alessi about an hour outside of Milan. They house a museum (designed by Mendini) and a large store selling only their products. The Alessi Museum is not a traditional museum with graphics and text depicting their history; it is more of a category-based archive of their past products and prototypes.
| Alessi Museum - Archive of Products |
The Collection of Humor in Alessi
Alessi Museum, Milano – Wednesday, June 8th
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| A collection of Alessi's iconic playful pieces http://www.mitinitaly.org/alessi--l--arte-in-cucina.html |
The design company Alessi has been one of the most famous kitchenware (and other miscellaneous products) companies in the world and certainly in Italy. They are well known for a variety of reasons: their quality, their beauty, their functionally, and their iconic, humorous and playful take on kitchen items. Alessi’s tasteful products come from a variety of designers such as Alessandro Mendini, Andrea Branzi, and of course Stefano Giovannoni, all of whom have their own line of other playful products.
Alessi: A Dual Function Archive
Alessi headquarters houses an extensive archive of not only their own repertoire in the market, but includes numerous prototypes, products that were never put into production and other company's products that were found to be relatively similar as their own. Products are neatly organized on rows of moving glass shelves by typology, making navigation throughout the archive easier. To this day, old products are still being referenced to during the design process. Referring to past projects and having collective documentation accessible to the designers of Alessi is crucial as a starting point for new ventures, as reflecting back will act as an aid of continuously maintaining a firm's aesthetics and goals. Self-referencing allows for growth and improvement in the future.
The archive has two functions: it serves as a record for the company and also is presented as a museum for guests. Our class had the privilege of a guided tour and the freedom to browse on our own as well. I found that seeing the assortment of prototypes along with an account enabled a better appreciation for the history. Each product has a story; through our guide’s story-telling we were able to see and connect to each object on an intimate level.
- Justine, Remi, Carmen
Kartell & Collaborations
Kartell, Milan - Wednesday June 8th 2011
The Kartell Company museum is organized in such a way that the visitor follows the chronological order of the company’s major product releases. It is very evident that Kartell’s original motive was to replace household products made of glass and other materials with plastic.
Riccardo Dalisi's Neapolitan Coffee Maker
Alessi Museum, Milan - Wednesday, June 8th, 2011
Alessi appointed internationally renown artist and designer, Riccardo Dalisi on doing research on the Neapolitan coffee maker (1979 - 1987), which won the Compasso d'oro XII award. With more than two hundred functional prototypes produced in tin, Dalisi's conceptual experience has impacted the craft industry, expressing "exponent of radical, anti-academic and unsettling figure compared to the logic often too market oriented." The photos above shows how humourous and ironic his work can be. Just imagine using one of those in your kitchen!
- Alan, Michelle, Lindsay
Keywords: Communication, Emotion
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