Press release -
30 Years of Design, Politecnico di Milano celebrates the evolution of industrial design
Milan - On the 30th anniversary of the launch of the first Degree Programme in Industrial Design in Italy in October 1993, the Department of Design of Politecnico di Milano - together with the School and the POLI.design Consortium - presents the project Design Philology | 1963-2023 to celebrate the evolution of design culture starting from the institution of the first course in Artistic Design for Industry (1963).
Over the years, Politecnico has consolidated its commitment in the sector, to the point where it is now recognised as one of the top ten design schools globally, according to QS Ranking by Subject.
For this important anniversary, 'Design Philology | 1963-2023' has been launched. This is an innovative project combining a digital archive, editorial content and an exhibition platform. Its name brings us back to 1963, the first course in industrial design was established. At the heart of 'Design Philology' is the 'philological' approach to the 'history of design at Politecnico', and a wide range of documents, images and videos are made available and accessible. The infrastructure is designed to be open and dynamic, allowing for continuous additions and corrections. Accessibility and interactivity are at the heart of the project and allow new generations of researchers and designers to explore, learn and draw inspiration from the great masters and past experiences.
As part of the Philology project, Politecnico di Milano opened the 'Design Convivio' exhibition, curated by Giampiero Bosoni and Paola Bertola. The exhibition, set up in the Historical Library, stages an imaginary dialogue between some emblematic personalities in the field of design: (in chronological order) Gio Ponti, Franco Albini, Carlo De Carli, Marco Zanuso, Achille Castiglioni, Vittoriano Viganò, Alberto Rosselli and Raffaella Crespi. They all graduated and then worked as professors at Politecnico. They were all pioneers and made a fundamental contribution to the development of design and its establishment at Politecnico.
The exhibition setting, conceived by Ico Migliore, imagines a convivial moment between these protagonists of design culture, represented through illustrations by Migliore himself, and seated around a large table metaphorically laden with words.
The dialogues, based on original quotations, have been edited and performed by Gianni Biondillo and Paola Albini together with some professional actors. Luminous words, suspended in the library, highlight the importance of these masters in shaping not only iconic objects but also the very language of design and its meanings.
"Thirty years of study, research and innovation make design one of the flagships of Politecnico in the world and one of the strengths of our region. An achievement to which we want to pay due tribute. - Donatella Sciuto, Rector of Politecnico di Milano, comments - Today,design is increasingly central in high-tech contexts, and stimulates hybrid, multidisciplinary and contamination approaches. This is the spirit and method that we want to cultivate and encourage at Politecnico, on the basis of strong roots such as those displayed by the Philology project, to anticipate new trends”.
"The Philology project is the result of a collective work that has involved a large number of design professors, researchers, PhD students, temporary research fellows and technical-administrative staff, and is intended to be a collective storytelling open to the contribution of all those who wish to add traces, testimonies and stories”, Alessandro Deserti, Head of the Department of Design, explains.
"Philology is the result of historical research carried out also thanks to the contribution of the Historical Archives of Politecnico, a work of reconstruction of relationships and a design and development activity that integrated interaction design, data visualisation, movie design and exhibit design skills. - Anna Meroni, Vice Dean of the School of Design, explains - We believe that Philology effectively interprets the multidisciplinary vocation of Politecnico’s culture of design and the ideal connection between past and future that our University has always been able to express”.
Topics
Politecnico di Milano is a scientific-technological university which trains engineers, architects and industrial designers.
The University has always focused on the quality and innovation of its teaching and research, developing a fruitful relationship with business and productive world by means of experimental research and technological transfer.
Research has always been linked to didactics and it is a priority commitment which has allowed Politecnico Milano to achieve high quality results at an international level as to join the university to the business world. Research constitutes a parallel path to that formed by cooperation and alliances with the industrial system.
Knowing the world in which you are going to work is a vital requirement for training students. By referring back to the needs of the industrial world and public administration, research is facilitated in following new paths and dealing with the need for constant and rapid innovation. The alliance with the industrial world, in many cases favored by Fondazione Politecnico and by consortiums to which Politecnico belong, allows the university to follow the vocation of the territories in which it operates and to be a stimulus for their development.
The challenge which is being met today projects this tradition which is strongly rooted in the territory beyond the borders of the country, in a relationship which is developing first of all at the European level with the objective of contributing to the creation of a single professional training market. Politecnico takes part in several research, sites and training projects collaborating with the most qualified European universities. Politecnico's contribution is increasingly being extended to other countries: from North America to Southeast Asia to Eastern Europe. Today the drive to internationalization sees Politecnico Milano taking part into the European and world network of leading technical universities and it offers several courses beside many which are entirely taught in English.
