Changing their world by design

Castelli Ferrieri, Aulenti among notable female architects and designers

Unlike the field of interior design, where women seem to by and large hold sway, the professions of architecture and industrial design have traditionally been dominated by men. Many women work in these fields, of course, but it seems many are overshadowed by the work of their male contemporaries. In the world of Italian architecture and design, there are some notable examples of female designers whose work ranks among the best in their respective fields.
Anna Castelli Ferrieri was one of the first women to earn an architecture degree from the Politecnico di Milano when she graduated from the school in 1943. With Italy in a state of post-war recovery, Castelli Ferrieri spent much of her early career working on urban planning and housing designs. She gained international renown in the 1960s, however, when her Componibili series of storage containers for Kartell helped to legitimize the use of plastic in durable products for the home. The rounded, modular storage units have become Italian design icons and they are still produced by Kartell four decades after their original introduction. Castelli Ferrieri's work is included in the permanent collections of museums in London, New York and Paris.
With the influence of an emerging youth culture, furniture design of the 1960s lost much of its traditional formality. One characteristic relaxed design of the era was the Bobo lounger by Cini Boeri for Milan-based manufacturer Arflex. Boeri dispensed with a traditional covering and instead allowed the soft polyurethane foam padding to define the design. In 1972, another chair design by Boeri and Laura Griziotti earned the duo the prestigious Compasso d'Oro award. That same year, Boeri demonstrated her versatility by designing a series of drinking glasses for the manufacturer Arnalfo di Cambio. Her Cibi drinking glass will be preserved for posterity in a unique manner - the modern glassware is used by Harrison Ford's character in a scene in the 1982 classic sci-fi film Blade Runner. Boeri's recent work includes the 2000 me office desking system for German company Rosenthal.
Nearing her 80th year, Udine-born Gaetana Aulenti is still going strong. The legendary designer recently teamed with fellow Italian architect Arnaldo De Bernardi to re-design the interior of Torino's Palavela, the figure skating venue for last winter's Olympic Games. Aulenti first came to prominence in the 1960s with a series of lighting designs that managed to successfully combine traditional and modern aesthetics. The work foreshadowed her later architectural work, including her celebrated conversion of a Paris train station to a new city museum in the 1980s. In 2003, Aulenti completed her first American commission with her re-design of the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. She preserved the building's 1917 Beaux Arts style exterior, but brightened the interior with extensive skylighting. Aulenti also designed the new Italian Cultural Institute building in Tokyo.
The current generation of Italian women working in design may be best known for their entrepreneurship. Paola Lenti established a furniture and flooring company in 1994, and while she designs, she also enlists the talents of established designers such as Francesco Rota. Her Milan-based company produces resolutely modern designs in both seating and area carpeting.
The furniture company Moroso designs high-end products for a worldwide market and American design magazine I.D. last year listed company art director Patrizia Moroso as one of the most influential figures in the design industry. One of Moroso's favourite designers is Patricia Urquiola who, although Spanish-born, is likely regarded in many circles as an Italian designer for her long-time residency in Milan and early career work with legends Achille Castiglioni and Vico Magistretti. Urquiola's specialty is her innovative use of materials, such as the industrial grade netting she used as the support in her Lazy chaise longue for B&B Italia. Along with Moroso, other Urquiola clients include Alessi, Foscarini and Molteni & C.
Although a modernist, Anna Castelli Ferrieri once refuted the prevailing wisdom that form follows function. "It's not true that useful is beautiful," she said. "It's beautiful that is useful, because it changes the world."
Designers such as Castelli Ferrieri, Boeri, Aulenti and Urquiola have worked to change their world for the better, one product or building at a time.

Publication Date: 2006-05-14
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=6239