Domus 869: April 2004
Domus
Ettore Sottsass, Enzo Mari, Andrea Branzi, Alessandro Mendini, Vico Magistretti.
The world of objects is very familiar to you. You are familiar with their ambiguous nature – their way of being ‘things’ as well as symbols; and you know how to manipulate them, how to play with them. You dream them up, sublime and ironic, useful and awkward. Simply sketched or sold by the thousand they have the potential to be icons of our daily existence. You are also very familiar with the world of industrial design production.
A multitude of companies; local dynasties and international trade; CNC machinery and Chinese or Indian labour. A molecular world that today seems to be in difficulty in a marketplace flooded by cheap copies and ‘period’ production, but nevertheless it continues to attract investment from all around the world, bringing new rules and principles, at times invigorating, at times crushing and destructive.
What is happening? What lies in store for that small cluster of design objects that has accompanied us over the years, enticing us with their genius and charm? What social utility does your work have these days? And what will become of the legions of students that try to follow in your footsteps? In short: Is there still a future (in Milan, in Italy, and in the world) for that strange realm of things, of machines and of symbols we call Industrial Design?
Please help us to understand.
Domus 869 April 2004
Cover
Ettore Sottsass, Enzo Mari, Andrea Branzi, Alessandro Mendini, Vico Magistretti
Calendar
Sentences and words
Giancarlo De Carlo: when words take on new meaning
Branzi Magistretti Mari Mendini Sottsass
In the world of objects: five masters discuss design
Enzo Mari. Paid advertisement
Highly experienced and qualified designer seeks desperately young entrepreneur
Vico Magistretti. Rug Sofa Rug
An ingenious hybrid design
Alessandro Mendini. Bags Bags Bags
A fashion accessory gets a bit of culture
After affect 4
Philippe Parreno: The immaginary and the real thing
Cino Zucchi. Five housing blocks in Venice
On the island of Giudecca, a large and abandoned industrial area turned into a residential neighborhood. Five variations on the theme of housing. Text by Mirko Zardini
Francesco Vezzoli. Non-love meetings
A reality TV show depicts the fetishes and drives behind contemporary sexuality
No globe, but plenty of blogs…
Bruno Latour: Globalisation began with Gerard Mercator?
A closed city
Voyage to Ozersk, one of the former Soviet Union’s ten secret atomic cities. For the first time, a photographer, Nathalie Latham, was able to enter the “closed city” and collect testimonies from the people still living and working inside
Interview: John Armleder
Hans Ulrich Obrist interviews John Armleder. The context of art and the notion of authenticity
Naoto Fukasawa. Just This Side of ‘Design’
The new ‘intuitive’ objects designed by Naoto Fukasawa.
OMA Beijing Books Building
A preview of the winning design for Beijing’s biggest ever bookstore. Text by Alain Fouraux
Five questions from the world of objects
Answered by Marco Belpoliti, Konstantin Grcic, Stefano Giovannoni, Stefano Mirti, Carlo Guglielmi, Patricia Urquiola and Patrizia Moroso.
Art Graft
Rirkrit Tiravanija. Shoes with no name
Post-it: Books
Post-it: Graphics
Panorama
El Topo: Lawrence Weiner
Edited by Maurizio Cattelan, Massimiliano Gioni and Ali Subotnick (Wrong Gallery)
