Foscarini
181
In 2013, Spazio Brera was inaugurated in
Milan, and Spazio Soho in New York, with two
site-specifi c art installations: Attilio Stocchi
presents Seme/Seed, whereas Stefano Arienti
puts together an environmental installation
with Alghe.
Opposite, the exhibition Monumental with
photographs by Gardone inside the bookshop at
the Venice Arsenale on the occasion of the 2014
Architecture Biennale.
Images of the Di Vaso in Fiore (2011) and Fare
Lume. Candele tra arte e design (2012) exhibitions
promoted by Foscarini and curated by Inventario
at the Poldi Pezzoli museum in Milan.
About shedding light
Gardone put the spotlight on the volumes of a number of products, almost transforming
them into works of architecture and triggering a surprising game of off-scale perception.
The sponsorship of the Venice Biennale has thus embodied the versatile vision of
Foscarini, in an approach to design as an aspect shared by various worlds of creati-
vity – design, architecture and the fi gurative arts – without preconceived notions or
hierarchies. This attitude was also refl ected, from 2011 to 2016, in a series of exhibitions
during Milano Design Week, curated by Beppe Finessi and developed in the context of
Inventario. The one-month exhibitions were held in the evocative spaces of the Poldi
Pezzoli museum in Milan, and have expanded over time, both physically – from a single
room to their harmonious insertion along the entire exhibit itinerary, together with the
works on view in the house-museum – and in terms of themes, no longer addressing
only the world of design, but also exploring various areas of the visual arts. The exhibi-
tions were accompanied by a publishing project produced by Corraini, examining the
themes of the shows in greater depth. The format has become a stimulating appoint-
ment for all those interested in design culture, especially younger viewers. The cycle
began with Di vaso in Fiore. Inventario tra natura e design (From Vase To Flower. Inventory
between Nature and Design), coordinated with the 50th edition of the Salone Interna-
zionale del Mobile, an exhibition/investigation organized around an object – the fl ower
vase, the central focus of the cover of the fi rst issue of the magazine – narrated with
emblematic examples by some of the protagonists of design in the Third Millennium.
In 2012, for the second exhibition, titled Fare Lume. Candele tra Arte e Design (Shed Light.
Candles between Art and Design), focusing on the candle as object, various works
of art were juxtaposed with the display of design pieces; they included Candles by
Michelangelo Pistoletto, who at the opening offered a performance, lighting the candles
of his work from 1967.
In the years to follow, the series has continued with Intorno al libro. Tra Arte e Design
(Between Art and Design), in 2013; La Casa Morbida (The Soft House) in 2014, on textile
design; Geografi e (Geographies) in 2015; concluding with Quasi Segreti. Cassetti tra Arte e
Design (Almost Secret. Drawers where Art meets Design) in 2016.
That year was also the moment in which to celebrate, with a special project, the 25th
anniversary of Lumiere by Rodolfo Dordoni, one of the company’s long-term successes,
tracing back through history by inserting it in a timeline of events that marked the
period 1990-2015. These premises gave rise to the video installation Anni Luce / Light
Years, on view at Triennale Milano, curated by the architect and critic Michele Calza-
vara and the designer and stylist Elisa Ossino. This was an opportunity for Foscarini
to reinterpret one of its most representative objects, contextualizing it in history and
encouraging viewers to interact, taking part in the narrative in a collective and personal
account. Images projected on 26 different screens – one for each year – conveyed memo-
Chap. 4 — Communicating the culture of light
181
