“Giornata del Design Italiano nel Mondo – Italian Design Day 2018”
Italian design was born in the workshops of Renaissance artists, whose diverse skills brought to life innovative products with a high aesthetic content. Ever since then research in the field of industrial design has grown and developed through a constant interaction between design schools and art movements, combining Italy’s remarkable craftsmanship tradition with technological innovation.
Design has developed along with the growth of the country since the years of the so called “economic boom”. It has become a key feature of Italian production and an economic driving force. A study carried out by Bain&Company has highlighted that Italian design accounts for over a third of the world’s industry turnover, which totals 100 billion euros. Moreover, design portrays a very distinct feature of the Italian spirit, which in itself has many of the elements that are internationally identified with ‘Brand Italy’. In a world where there is a growing interest about Italy and its products, design provides “an Italianexperience” through objects which combine beauty and originality with the quality of raw materials and production methods, demonstrating the culture and traditions of thecountry’s diverse regional areas.
Why
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has placed design at the very core of its promotional strategy known as “Vivere ALL’Italiana”, which seeks to promote Italy’s cultural and production system through an integrated action combining culture, economy, Italian language and scientific research. The 2017 Italian Design Day was a very successful event, involving up to 20,000 design experts in over 100 cities across the world. In 2018, the theme of the Italian Design Day is the relation between design and sustainability, the latter being seen from an economic, social and environmental point of view. The aim is to investigate what the contribution of design could be on nature and the human being. The Italian Design Day 2018 is really in tune with the theme selected for the 22nd Triennale International Exhibition, “Broken Nature – Design Takes on Human Survival”, which will take place from 1st March to 1st September 2019. Sustainable policies are central today both for governments and for the private sector. Hence, Italy – a world leader in design – will showcase ideas, projects and high-quality solutions, promoting an international debate meant to contribute to the 22nd Triennale, and become a point of reference for the Expo 2020 Dubai “Connecting minds, creating the future.” Sustainability is also among the top issues on the Expo’s agenda. The 2018 edition also continues to support the “Salone del Mobile”, the international design flagship event, which will take place in Milan on 17-22 April 2018.
Who
It is a team activity initiated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in cooperation with the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activites and Tourism, “Fondazione la Triennale di Milano”, ICE-Italian Trade Agency, “Salone del Mobile”, “Associazione per il Disegno Industriale”, “Fondazione Compasso d’Oro” and “Fondazione Altagamma”. All public and private stakeholders representing top-quality Italian design will participate, including enterprises, via Confindustria, public and private stakeholders in the educational sector, making up a grand total of more than fifty players, including associations, federations, universities and design schools.
What
On one same day, in over 100 cities across the world, 100 ‘Ambassadors’ of Italian culture – architects, designers, entrepreneurs, journalists, critics, communicators, educators- will discuss the relation between design and sustainability. Personalities from different fields – education, information and commerce – will gather for a round table on sustainability issues associated with design, customs, and production processes. They will bring back to Italy experiences of excellence they will find in the countries the ywill visit (handicrafts, technological innovations, construction methods, materials) with a view to investigating any possible design cross-fertilisations