Manufacturer | Alessi |
Color | Gold |
Size | 23 x 7.5 cm x H 19 cm |
Alessi Coffee maker Gold Metal. Dimensions: 23 × 7.5 cm x H 19 cm. Notice to collectors, design fans and everyone who’d like to rediscover the essential figures of Italian design! The iconic Italian brand Alessi is celebrating its 100th anniversary with the “Alessi 100 Values Collection”: this collection celebrates the values that define the identity and practice of the Dream Factory (Fabbrica dei Sogni). A collection of surprising objects, from the Alessi Museum's Archive Fund, which includes projects that have never been produced before, brand-new versions of cult objects as well as icons in the making. Twelve projects, each referring to a different value, will be presented over twelve months, from May 2021 to April 2022. „Alessi 100 Values Collection“ celebrates 100 years of applied arts research and the start of a new century of experimentation. The ninth value placed in the spotlight by Alessi is Poetry, as evidenced by one of the finest examples of poetic research in design: Riccardo Dalisi and the never-before-produced proof version of his Neapolitan coffee maker. Alberto Alessi explains: “I’m convinced that a good designer is above all a poet. The word poetry, from the Greek poíesis, originally meant creation, and the designer’s job consists precisely in creating objects that help us look at ourselves from the inside and elevate ourselves somewhat above our material existence. In short, to live our life fully. Caffettiera con cuore e stelle: within the galaxy of Alessi designers, Riccardo Dalisi probably gives us one of the brightest examples of a poetic approach to design. Neapolitan by adoption, he enjoyed working in close contact with the city's artisans. During the design phase that would eventually culminate in the 1970s with the creation of his Neapolitan coffee maker, he sent us several hundred prototypes, all different from each other and increasingly expressive, to the point of losing all semblance of functionality to become works of art. As a tribute to his approach, which in my opinion has no equal in the history of design, we have chosen to reissue one of his creations, produced in a limited edition of 999 items. “As a designer awarded a Compasso d'Oro prize in 1981, Riccardo Dalisi designed his Neapolitan coffee maker along a path that is among the richest and most poetic in Alessi's history. On the basis of a socio-anthropological analysis which led him to an approach of hyperbolic “animation” of the traditional forms of the Neapolitan cuccuma, the process resulted in the creation of a multitude of characters, both sacred and secular. Saints, horsemen, fantastic chimeras and unexpected coffee makers, like the one being released to mark Alessi's centenary: a captivating work between art and design, haloed by an explosion of stars from which emerges a small, lonely heart. Born in 1931, Dalisi was an architect who was always committed to the social (his workshops in the popular districts of Naples in particular are fundamental here) and who dedicated his life to building an ever closer relationship between university research, architecture, design, art and craftsmanship, with at the heart of his approach the objective of human development through dialogue and the resulting creativity. „Caffettiera con cuore e stelle“ is made entirely by hand by craftsmen from Rua Catalana, a historic street in Naples where the Lattonieri (tinsmiths) workshops have been focused since 1300. The cultural richness of this ancestral tradition can be found today in this small Neapolitan cuccuma, transfigured into a work of art. Its body is made of copper, the stars and heart are brass, the handle solid wood. Mixing craftsmanship and poetry, tradition and emotion, „Caffettiera con cuore e stelle“ arouses sensual and intellectual creativity, physical and evocative of an intangible imagination. This animated coffee maker by Riccardo Dalisi is striking with its ability to operate on several levels simultaneously. This object is dedicated to all collectors, enthusiasts for unique pieces or in short series who want to create their own design gallery, for all lovers of Art and Poetry, for those who do not distinguish between imagination, beauty and design. Riccardo Dalisi: „The animation had a "methodological“ role. The extravagant, free form breaks all codes and creates a magical space where anything can happen and where it becomes possible to catalyse a moment of „pure research“ on function or form".