Focusing on its 'innovative, alternative and reflective' charge declined in various facets - from artificial intelligence to new materials via peaceful cooperation as well as business - Italian design was celebrated in Cairo.
On the initiative of the Agency for the Promotion Abroad and Internationalisation of Italian Companies (ICE), an 'Italian Design Day' was organised last week in a converted warehouse in the centre of the Egyptian capital, dedicated to 'honouring the timeless elegance, innovative spirit and cultural importance of Italian design', as was stressed in a presentation.
The Italian Ambassador to Cairo, Michele Quaroni, brought greetings and emphasised the importance of the evening as an opportunity to "promote Italian design" in a country, such as Egypt, where there is great attention and appreciation for Italian style and art. "Design," continued the Ambassador, "represents one of the clearest expressions of our history and culture, where the flourishing tradition of craftsmanship intersects with a strong propensity for innovation. For this reason, the Italian government, through its network of Embassies and Consulates, intends to 'convey abroad the image of a dynamic, creative and innovative country, strong in its great tradition and capable, at the same time, of projecting itself into the future,' Quaroni continued.
For his part, the director of Ice in Cairo, Vincenzo Calì, emphasised that he believed that 'Italian design is more than just a tribute to an extraordinary heritage. It is a catalyst for collaboration, an opportunity to exchange ideas, strengthen partnerships and increase bilateral trade, business and investment opportunities'.
The evening of 12 December also included the screening of documentaries (one on 'Gruppo 9999', the Italian collective of radical architects and designers of the 1960s and 1970s) and seminars.
Maria Luce Lupetti, a researcher at the Department of Architecture and Design of the Politecnico di Torino and keynote speaker at the event, highlighted how, on the one hand, we are living in an era of radical change, while on the other hand we are once again subject to normative and deterministic visions of technological innovation. In this context, in his view, design represents a force that can both reinforce these visions and challenge them, in favour of more radical ways of thinking about AI.
In her speech, Daniela Amandolese, Designer, Researcher and Lecturer at the German University in Cairo, highlighted the potential of "bio-based" and living materials in design and, among other things, pointed out "Growing Futures", a project developed with the Basque Biodesign Center, within the framework of "Musae" (Horizon Europe).
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