More than one thousand people showed up after work at 225 W. Wacker on June 12 to see what the Italians are up to in vacuum cleaners and pharmacists’ trays these days, which says something about the dearth of entertainment options in the Loop after five. The event was a private reception held to celebrate the opening of the Italian design exhibit, Compasso d’Oro.
Good design exploits materials for their qualities and not just their cost. A few years ago I bought a remarkable tomato press by Montepolimeri. Not only does it do an excellent job of separating tomato pulp from skin and seeds, it does it by exploiting plastic (specifically polypropylene). Plastic has come to mean “shoddy” in this country, mainly because manufacturers so often use it as a cheap substitute for metal or wood. My Italian tomato press was made of the stuff because it is thus acid- and stain-resistant and lightweight. It’s also strong enough to stand on. I know because I did it, the sort of stunt cooks will try when they drink wine while cooking.
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I confirmed that it is still possible to rave about the special quality of the lights in Italy, however much pollution there may have dimmed the natural light. Claudio Nordio’s table lamp and Rizzatto and Meda’s “Lola” lamp (“no concessions to show,” said the awards committee in praise of the latter) were especially clean and fine. The Assisa chair designed by Paolo Favaretto is being touted by its manufacturer for its “industrial elegance”; and it really can be described in such a phrase without causing educated people to sneer.
You don’t have to venture to international design shows to get a sense of how the Italians do things. I arrived at the Compasso d’Oro opening already impressed by Italian design, the result of watching the first week of the 1990 World Cup. The design flair of the host nation was evident everywhere, from the competition’s clever logo to the stadium’s architecture. The extraordinary fashion show that was the centerpiece of the opening ceremonies was emphatically not something we would ever see at a Super Bowl halftime. The U.S. sports daily the National–which knows at least as much about fashion as it does about international sport–explained to its readers that the Italian national soccer team, called the Azzuri for the color of its uniforms, is “widely known for its fashion.” This is nonsense, but even the nonfans who can’t appreciate the Italians’ playing can, like the National’s reporters, appreciate how good they look.
Alas for me, eroticism quickly gave way to enervation. Halfway through the 120 objects on display at the Compasso d’Oro show, I began to feel as if I were cruising the aisles in Field’s new basement rather than touring an exhibit. (The difference is, I concede, slight.)
