Italian
Ten design, architecture, and graphic studies were involved, asking them to present their project culture guidelines through videos that were published on the association’s social media. The meetings at the Galleria Altinia were three, at 7 PM, on June 5, 12, and 19, while the concluding one was held at Casa Robegan.
On this occasion, the Councillor for Culture De Gregorio was present, who emphasized how this series of meetings has brought the focus on a current issue, that of care, which the Ministry of Culture and Health are working on synergistically with the aim of citizen well-being. And this falls precisely within the scope of Design and Architecture, because living in a beautiful and comfortable environment makes us feel better and improves our lifestyles.
At the beginning of the meeting, Veronica Sossai had all the participants in the project introduce themselves and then asked them a key question: what is design? The answers were very interesting and thought-provoking. Here are a series of statements to reflect on.
Design cannot save the world, but there is an ethics behind design thinking.
It is both a cultural and social activity: for example, a design studio conducted a campaign on valuing motherhood. But it is also about having a caring and respectful approach to the context in which one lives, which is achieved through careful planning.
The design can also address difficult themes, such as pain, as in the case of an event that took place in Udine.
The social and political role of the graphic designer, like that of a public utility, is a matter of education, while the care of a territory, of a landscape, is found both in quality public housing and in the aesthetics of a hospital, which, although a place of healing, must inspire a harmony and inner balance that allow one to face pain.
The visual design, on the other hand, intends care as a sense of enhancement, while care must become an approach beyond technical aspects. Design must also take care of sustainability and must have a conscious approach that everything conceived and designed starts from necessity.
At this point, Veronica Sossai asked the participants in the project to take some slips of paper stored in three boxes, where the questions from the audience collected in previous meetings had been gathered. The first one was about mentioning a brilliant idea that had resolved a project’s impasse. In reality, sometimes ideas that were previously set aside resurface, but the essence is to have a method that allows for solid foundations.
Another issue raised was the relationship with the client: how much and in what way it is right to contradict them if necessary. It emerged that it is necessary to do so for their own good, when the expenses or difficulties of the project may exceed their sustainability.
What balance exists between creativity and sustainability: the basic idea is to do a lot with little, but certainly good design saves money.
What can be an unbearable trend for an architect or a designer? Certainly, standardization.
Still: what is missing from design? The fact that it is not considered a real job.
What is the most underrated part of a project? Preliminary research.
After this series of interesting and stimulating questions, the audience was invited to visit the small exhibition where each studio that participated in the project presented itself.
The closing remarks were made by Paola Bellin, pleased with the success of the project and for being able to showcase young designers, architects, and graphic designers from our area, to enhance the vision and proactive creativity of the new generations, as stated in point 9 of the association’s manifesto.
A pleasant and moving surprise was the greeting from the host, the president of the Mazzotti Foundation Andrea Simoniato, who remembered Paola Bellin’s recently deceased husband, architect Luciano Setten, as a reference point for the cultural life of Treviso and beyond, as the curator of a series of exhibitions and events, and mentioned in the magazine Fragmenta, which was presented yesterday at a collateral event also at Ca’Robegan.
A worthy conclusion for an innovative and deserving project, which will certainly have a sequel, with the variables of creativity that this festival has accustomed us to.
At Robegarden the conclusion of the review
Last night, in the delightful setting of Robegarden, that is, the garden of Ca’Robegan, the project “Portraits of Design” concluded after two months. This series of conferences was organized by Paola Bellin and Veronica Sossai, who involved young architects and designers along with their design studios to address some pressing themes of their mission today.
The first meetings took place at the beautiful location of the atrium of the Condominio Simonetti, which is a prestigious building located in the heart of Treviso, with its main entrance on via Roma and overlooking piazza Giustinian Recanati. Designed in the 1960s by the renowned architect Carlo Scarpa, the property houses the evocative Galleria Altinia and is renowned for its high architectural value.
The building is also known for an innovative active citizenship initiative: to prevent degradation and enhance the neighborhood, the residents pooled their resources to pay the rent of an empty shop below their apartments (the former armory), thus managing to select a design business that fits the context.
And it is precisely this that was discussed in the meetings organized in this space, which is a symbolic and beautiful place, recently opened to the public and enhanced thanks to the FAI Spring Days, located along the axis that leads from the train station to the heart of the city.
The area where the building stands was almost entirely destroyed by the bombings of World War II. Originally, the area included a barracks and a wide tree-lined avenue. In the immediate post-war period, the reconstruction of the bombed area began, which involved the establishment of the railway station, other infrastructures, and residential buildings.
The work was initially entrusted to engineer Perusini, who directed the construction until the advanced rough phase. In 1960, architect Luciano Gemin took over, focusing mainly on the facades and architectural details, assisted by architect Carlo Scarpa in the design of the double-height condominium atrium.
Thanks to the talks in Galleria Altinia, the organizers of [e] design festival have thought that the urban area in which this architecture is located can transform from a space perceived as unsafe to a symbol of rebirth, capable of telling a story of an innovative, inclusive Treviso that is attentive to the future, especially for the younger generations.
The project was born exclusively out of a sense of civic and cultural responsibility, with the aim of transforming a critical issue into an opportunity, returning the area to the city as an active, open, and recognizable place, capable of generating cultural and social value through the language of contemporary design and architecture.
Ten design, architecture, and graphic studies were involved, asking them to present their project culture guidelines through videos that were published on the association’s social media. The meetings at the Galleria Altinia were three, at 7 PM, on June 5, 12, and 19, while the concluding one was held at Casa Robegan.
On this occasion, the Councillor for Culture De Gregorio was present, who emphasized how this series of meetings has brought the focus on a current issue, that of care, which the Ministry of Culture and Health are working on synergistically with the aim of citizen well-being. And this falls precisely within the scope of Design and Architecture, because living in a beautiful and comfortable environment makes us feel better and improves our lifestyles.
At the beginning of the meeting, Veronica Sossai had all the participants in the project introduce themselves and then asked them a key question: what is design? The answers were very interesting and thought-provoking. Here are a series of statements to reflect on.
Design cannot save the world, but there is an ethics behind design thinking.
It is both a cultural and social activity: for example, a design studio conducted a campaign on valuing motherhood. But it is also about having a caring and respectful approach to the context in which one lives, which is achieved through careful planning.
The design can also address difficult themes, such as pain, as in the case of an event that took place in Udine.
The social and political role of the graphic designer, like that of a public utility, is a matter of education, while the care of a territory, of a landscape, is found both in quality public housing and in the aesthetics of a hospital, which, although a place of healing, must inspire a harmony and inner balance that allow one to face pain.
The visual design, on the other hand, intends care as a sense of enhancement, while care must become an approach beyond technical aspects. Design must also take care of sustainability and must have a conscious approach that everything conceived and designed starts from necessity.
At this point, Veronica Sossai asked the participants in the project to take some slips of paper stored in three boxes, where the questions from the audience collected in previous meetings had been gathered. The first one was about mentioning a brilliant idea that had resolved a project’s impasse. In reality, sometimes ideas that were previously set aside resurface, but the essence is to have a method that allows for solid foundations.
Another issue raised was the relationship with the client: how much and in what way it is right to contradict them if necessary. It emerged that it is necessary to do so for their own good, when the expenses or difficulties of the project may exceed their sustainability.
What balance exists between creativity and sustainability: the basic idea is to do a lot with little, but certainly good design saves money.
What can be an unbearable trend for an architect or a designer? Certainly, standardization.
Still: what is missing from design? The fact that it is not considered a real job.
What is the most underrated part of a project? Preliminary research.
After this series of interesting and stimulating questions, the audience was invited to visit the small exhibition where each studio that participated in the project presented itself.
The closing remarks were made by Paola Bellin, pleased with the success of the project and for being able to showcase young designers, architects, and graphic designers from our area, to enhance the vision and proactive creativity of the new generations, as stated in point 9 of the association’s manifesto.
A pleasant and moving surprise was the greeting from the host, the president of the Mazzotti Foundation Andrea Simoniato, who remembered Paola Bellin’s recently deceased husband, architect Luciano Setten, as a reference point for the cultural life of Treviso and beyond, as the curator of a series of exhibitions and events, and mentioned in the magazine Fragmenta, which was presented yesterday at a collateral event also at Ca’Robegan.
A worthy conclusion for an innovative and deserving project, which will certainly have a sequel, with the variables of creativity that this festival has accustomed us to.
