Digitisation and physical architecture: the archive is living matter
A journey into the heart of two companies that have written the history of Italian design and invest in the collection and organisation of materials, sketches, prototypes, objects.
4' min read
4' min read
Luca Fuso: 'Being radical in today's homes'.
"The archive is always an asset, it is never a burden," begins Luca Fuso, managing director of Cassina and Zanotta. The emblematic company of radical Italian design, acquired by Cassina just two years ago, still has pieces in production such as the Sacco armchair (Gatti, Paolini, Teodoro, 1968), the Sciangai coat stand (De Pas, D'Urbino, Lomazzi, 1973), the Mezzadro stool (Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, 1957), the Quaderna series (Superstudio, 1972), the Tonietta chair (Enzo Mari, 1985). The list is long - practically the history of Italian design. But it's a legacy that doesn't frighten, on the contrary: "It's lucky to have it," confirms Fuso. "The company's DNA is generated from there and it is a source of continuous inspiration. You just have to go back to see what has been done and find great benefit from it, either by reissuing pieces made in the past or taking inspiration for new models". Zanotta's archive is tidy, but not a physical place: "It includes over 650 products, of which we have all the drawings and photos. Even if we don't have all the pieces, we can trace them back to those who own them, because Zanotta is part of the history of Brianza and as such is experienced by those who bought and still own the products". The company started making designer furniture from 1964 onwards, and since then it has been possible to trace back almost all the pieces put into production. "After the acquisition by Cassina, as a first step we studied Zanotta's record well to define which pieces best identified the brand and which we could reissue," he continues. In 2024, it was the turn of the Dealbata vases and the Cuculia bowl by Alessandro Mendini (designed between 1985 and 1986); at the same time, the Blow inflatable armchair by De Pas, D'Urbino, Lomazzi was exhibited as a prototype. "This year we are proposing it as a real product, in a limited series," reveals Fuso.
But Zanotta's is not a pure revival of the golden age of Italian design, quite the contrary. "We do not rely on the archive, although it is important as a source. There is always the combination with new projects. Zanotta represented radical design, but to remain faithful to this identity, we have to adapt to the spirit of today. Houses are no longer what they used to be, we no longer produce objects that are only beautiful'. In this sense, the choice fell on Fien Muller and Hannes Van Severen, two Belgian creatives: "They are radical as people and as thinking, applied to the present moment. They have a creative and functional approach'.
Giulia Molteni: 'A living entity traversed by many red threads'.
