73456 - History of Industrial Design T-I

Course contents

The course is about the reaction of artistic and architectonic culture to industrial revolution and metropolis with a focus on industrial design between half of the 19th century and the Thirties of 20th century.

The course is organized in twelve 8 hours modules: main overview lesson (3 hours); required exercise (2 hours).

In order to complete the required exercise the student must choose and own an object. During the course the student is asked to analyse the object and make interpretations following the suggestions offered by the lessons. Media and format of the exercise are free.

The student must have a notebook (Moleskine 9x14 or similar) to take notes during lessons and as a draft notebook for the exercise.

The final workshop will consist in a discussion – based also on the notebook - on the course's program starting from the exposed exercises and will lead to final grade. 

Module I

John Ruskin: two lights, two truths

Exercise and review

Module II

Happy work: Morris and Arts and Crafts Movement

Exercise and review

Module III

Substantial architecture, transparency, commodity: Crystal Palace

Exercise and review

Module IV

The expressionist object

Exercise and review

Module V

Workshop

Descriptions, images, aesthetics of things, places and designed environments

Stefano Ascari, scriptwriter, Images. Things and environments in graphic novels, comics and design

Exercise and collective review

Module VI

The dadaist object

Exercise and review

Module VII

Workshop

Descriptions, images, aesthetics of things, places and designed environments

Ugo Cornia, writer, Descriptions. Tales of things, places, streets

Module VIII

The futurist object

Exercise and review

Module IX

Exercise review

Module X

The cubist, neoplasticist and constructivist object

Exercise and review

Module XI

Man and technique: Mies meets Guardini

Exercise and review

Module XII

Final workshop

Readings/Bibliography

Bibliography

 

Books to be studied

 

M. De Micheli, Le avanguardie artistiche del Novecento, (1988), Feltrinelli, Milano 
2007

R. De Fusco, Storia del design, (1985), Laterza, Roma-Bari 2002, cap. I-V

T. Maldonado, Disegno industriale, un riesame, (1991), Feltrinelli, Milano 2008, cap. III-V

M. Vitta, Il progetto della bellezza. Il design fra arte e tecnica dal 1851 a oggi, (2001), Einaudi, Torino 2011, cap. I-VI

 

Additional readings

 

B. Munari, Design e comunicazione visiva. Contributo a una metodologia didattica, (1968), Laterza, Roma-Bari 2007

G. Dorfles, Introduzione al disegno industriale, (1972), Einaudi Torino 2001

M. Tafuri, La sfera e il labirinto: avanguardie e architettura da Piranesi agli anni '70, Einaudi, Torino 1980

A. De Martini, R. Losito, F. Rinaldi, Antologia di saggi sul design in quarant'anni di “Op. cit.”, Franco Angeli, Milano 2006

R. Falcinelli, Critica portatile del visual design. Da Gutenberg al social network, Einaudi, Torino 2014

Teaching methods

Ex cathedra lessons Multimedia exercises

Assessment methods

The final workshop will consist in a discussion – based also on the notebook - on the course's program starting from the exposed exercises and will lead to final grade. 

Teaching tools

https://itunesu.itunes.apple.com/enroll/F5A-QJY-XH5

Links to further information

https://itunesu.itunes.apple.com/enroll/F5A-QJY-XH5

Office hours

See the website of Giovanni Leoni