It is not an easy task to
be able to interpret the work of these designers; Achille, Pier Giacomo and
Livio Castiglioni. This is so because their work only appears to be simple,
however behind its design there is a problematic form of design. It consists of
both a bit of reason and a contrast from the Dada Movement.
Their objects are easy to
recognize. The Castiglioni studio in Piazza Castello, now the Achille
Castiglioni Studio Museum, entails a collection of tools, found objects and
small masterpieces including: hammers, scissors, agricultural gears and work
wear items. This work is one of the starting points of the designer’s works.
Later on these brothers focused upon setting off from already existing objects.
Even though there is a Surrealist element in their designs, they appreciated
tested experience giving it life through functional dimensions.
The two brothers; Livio and
Pier Giacomo founded the Castiglioni studio in 1938. Firstly, Luigi Caccia
Dominioni also contributed to the development of its projects. In 1944 Achille,
the youngest of the brothers, joined the studio.
The conditions that led to
the emergence of Italian Design, was made of a compound design measurement that
was capable of infusing utensils, furnishings and house appliances, as well as
vehicles, with a style that was formal, aesthetic and typologically creative.
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| 547 radio-receiver |
It was the year 1940 that
triggered the official inclusion of design into Italian planning. Giuseppe Pagano,
had already tried the relation between furnishing and industrial production. It was the section which was dedicated to
radios at the edition of the Triennale, first presented their five-valve 547
radio-receiver designed for Phonola. This object consisted of a developing image
of Italian design, based upon the relationship between design and industry. The
547 radio-receiver does not look like a bedside table, and it neither looks
like a telephone: however, its central and inverted sound diffuser looks like a
microphone.
Furthermore, the
Castiglioni brothers by time developed a method of work and research, which was
a collaboration of both functionalism and practicality. They added to the
equation, tradition, and the willingness to discover more. One may denote that
this is an indication of what re-design was about, that consisted of the
observation of objects that are used everyday.
This partnership, which is
a collaboration of both architects and manufactures is the key to what made
Italian design successful. This is also what made experimental research
possible in relation to furniture in the 1950s and 1960s.
When it comes to industrial
design, Rem’s portable shoulder vacuum cleaner Spalter and the five-value
Phonala radio remain fundamental illustrations of the reinvention, both
relating to typology and material.
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| Spalter |
The Spalter is another
design of the Castiglioni brothers. As a project, Spalter showed Italian
industrial design, the pathway it was to follow: this meant that there should
be a connection with the company and also an interaction regarding concepts
when one is creating something. There should be a partnership were its parties
are the designers and the businessmen. In the product’s name, Spalter combines
the ideas of shoulder and ground use. It was a groundbreaking item both due to
its formal acknowledgments, based on the pursuit of reduction, and for its
choice of materials. The small vacuum cleaner is made out of two sheets of
nylon, one enclosing the engine and fan, the other a dust filter. Its shape
which looked like a backpack, enabled the product to be used either by carrying
it through a shoulder strap or by more conventionally dragging it on the floor.
The sled-like shape of its shell and the presence of a small felt dish attached
to its front fissure made it easy to move the vacuum cleaner across the floor
even without any wheels.
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