On the World Day of Italian Design, the Italian Cultural Institute invited a special guest to Budapest again this year. The daughter of architect-designer Achille Castiglioni, Giovanna Castiglioni, spoke about her father's cultural legacy, and her presentation also has a connection to MaxCity: the designer's two iconic chairs were provided for the event by Ágnes Vincze, the founder of VA Design. We asked him briefly about the important occasion.
How did the chairs get to the event?
It's no secret that I'm a big fan of the work of Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, so I was already invited to the round table discussion after the performance. When it was mentioned during the consultation that the VA Design store also has three well-known models of Castiglioni's chairs designed in the late fifties and early sixties, they asked if I could lend them for the day. This is how the Sella and Mezzadro ended up at the event - the bigger Allunaggio ended up staying in the store due to lack of space.
How did the event go?
Giovanna Castiglioni is a terrific speaker. He arrived with roughly two suitcases of objects designed by his father, and using them, involving the audience throughout, he told about the working method his father used and where he got his inspiration from.
What is worth knowing about Achille Castiglioni?
Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni are a Milanese couple who started their design career in their hometown with their third brother, Livio. Their work was characterized by an interest in new and surprising materials, forms, and techniques - they also played a major role in founding the Association of Industrial Designers. In 1964, the Castiglioni brothers began their collaboration with the famous Italian furniture manufacturer, Zanotta, where they created innovative and iconic pieces that are still defining in the world of design.
What should you know about the two chairs?
The piece called Sella was presented in 1957 at Colori e forme nella casa d'oggi (Forms and colors in today's homes) organized in Como. at an exhibition. The Sella is made from a racing bicycle saddle mounted on a stainless steel post and supported by a heavy hemispherical pedestal. It is interesting that Sella, made as a telephone chair, does not only refer to the world of bicycle races, but also to the milking chair, which is usually attached to a waist belt - just as the Sella, the milking chair, also has one leg, so the user of it together with his two legs forms the three points of support necessary for stability .
