Portugal – Lisbon hosts course on Italian design

Design speaks Italian in Lisbon at the course entitled “L’italiano e la creativita’: il design e i suoi protagonisti” (“Italian and Creativity: Design and its protagonists”). The course, organised by the Italian Cultural Institute in Lisbon, will last until 13 February. The ten-day course will trace the history of some of the protagonists – architects, engineers, designers – through documentaries, interviews, readings, and comments, and through the analysis of objects that brought Italy and its industry to be the absolute international leader in this sector. In the 19^th century, with the advent of industrialisation, and following a first long phase in which serially made objects led to label functionality and technology as non-aesthetic, many architects and artists started devoting their time and attention to industrial design. Thus, industrial design arose from the need to upgrade the aesthetic level of serially made objects to that of the objects produced through artistic craftsmanship. Italy lagged behind in beginning its industrial revolution compared to other European countries and it was not until after World War II that it succeeded to take a role of global leadership, especially in the automotive and in the furniture and furnishing sector (lamps, furniture, small and large electrical household appliances). And it was the city of Milan that played the catalyst in creating design schools and industries which were to produce those objects.