Italy at work – past and present
A volume collects 23 essays on one of the most important ‘Made in Italy’ events in the 20th century
Italy’s exemplary production around the world, now just as in the past, and founded on ancient heritage. Something that left a mark and thus needs to be explored in depth, which is what the 23 research studies gathered in the recently published Italia al lavoro. Un lifestyle da esportazione (Italy at work. A lifestyle for export), curated by Paola Cordera and Chiara Faggella, attempt to do.
The essays are inspired by the travelling exhibition Italy at Work: Her Renaissance in Design Today (1950-1953), which in the second post-war period contributed to building the rhetorics and fortune of ‘Made in Italy’ manufacturing. Hence, as mentioned, 23 essays by researchers from 16 Italian and international institutions and universities, weave the fabric of a polyphonic and multidisciplinary narrative ranging from art and architectural history to decorative arts and design, and from industry to fashion and museology. Drawing from relevant literature and unpublished archival documentation, the essays illustrate the complex scenario surrounding the exhibition – its organisation, main actors, economic and political interests, the styles and cultural references that led to the success – and ensuing beneficial influence – of an initiative that wanted to show the world how Italy had recovered.
Thus, the collection starts with an analysis of the production efforts required to create “new products for an international clientèle”, goes on to illustrate the promotion and narrative activities of Italy’s production capacity, and then provides a number of in-depth portrayals of Italian artists, manufacturers and designers, without neglecting the role played by women in terms of creativity and manufacturing, and finally links the events of those years with the events of today.
For the curators, Italy at Work has been a genuine experiment in modernity, a workshop for projects and creations that transformed the Italian spirit into the concept of ‘Made in Italy’ quality that still permeates Italian manufacturing.
L’Italia al lavoro. Un lifestyle da esportazione (Italy at work. A lifestyle for export)
Paola Cordera, Chiara Faggella (curated by)
Bologna University Press, 2023
A volume collects 23 essays on one of the most important ‘Made in Italy’ events in the 20th century
Italy’s exemplary production around the world, now just as in the past, and founded on ancient heritage. Something that left a mark and thus needs to be explored in depth, which is what the 23 research studies gathered in the recently published Italia al lavoro. Un lifestyle da esportazione (Italy at work. A lifestyle for export), curated by Paola Cordera and Chiara Faggella, attempt to do.
The essays are inspired by the travelling exhibition Italy at Work: Her Renaissance in Design Today (1950-1953), which in the second post-war period contributed to building the rhetorics and fortune of ‘Made in Italy’ manufacturing. Hence, as mentioned, 23 essays by researchers from 16 Italian and international institutions and universities, weave the fabric of a polyphonic and multidisciplinary narrative ranging from art and architectural history to decorative arts and design, and from industry to fashion and museology. Drawing from relevant literature and unpublished archival documentation, the essays illustrate the complex scenario surrounding the exhibition – its organisation, main actors, economic and political interests, the styles and cultural references that led to the success – and ensuing beneficial influence – of an initiative that wanted to show the world how Italy had recovered.
Thus, the collection starts with an analysis of the production efforts required to create “new products for an international clientèle”, goes on to illustrate the promotion and narrative activities of Italy’s production capacity, and then provides a number of in-depth portrayals of Italian artists, manufacturers and designers, without neglecting the role played by women in terms of creativity and manufacturing, and finally links the events of those years with the events of today.
For the curators, Italy at Work has been a genuine experiment in modernity, a workshop for projects and creations that transformed the Italian spirit into the concept of ‘Made in Italy’ quality that still permeates Italian manufacturing.
L’Italia al lavoro. Un lifestyle da esportazione (Italy at work. A lifestyle for export)
Paola Cordera, Chiara Faggella (curated by)
Bologna University Press, 2023