Description
Born from the dialogue between Alberto Alessi and Italian designer Giulio Iacchetti, the new collection ''Il Tornitore Matto'' aims to highlight the ancient artisanal practice of metal turning which made the reputation of Omegna, a town in the north of Italy where the Alessi company was founded in 1921. This creative project marks a return to the origins of the Alessi company, or rather to a mater ...
Born from the dialogue between Alberto Alessi and Italian designer Giulio Iacchetti, the new collection ''Il Tornitore Matto'' aims to highlight the ancient artisanal practice of metal turning which made the reputation of Omegna, a town in the north of Italy where the Alessi company was founded in 1921. This creative project marks a return to the origins of the Alessi company, or rather to a material, metal, which has always been part of the brand's history. To create the first range of products, Alberto Alessi called on nine designers and artists, including Pierre Charpin, Iacchetti, Michele De Lucchi, Paolo Ulian and Naoto Fukasawa, challenging them to design and create a series of objects for home and table using old metal turning technology.
This project highlights a machine that historically represented Alessi’s starting point in metalworking: the lathe. Alberto Alessi explains: “The lathe is the instrument at the origin of our profession. At the beginning of the 20th century, my grandfather Giovanni was a good turner, and until the 1940s, sheet metal turning was Alessi's typical process, then it was gradually replaced. I’m struck by the intimate dimension of working on the lathe: each operator has a large set of tools to use with the metal disc against the mould, and these tools have been specially manufactured for him, for his build and strength. They are his, and no one else could use them as effectively”.
Giulio Iacchetti: “Objects born from a rotational movement which, once released from the jaws of the chuck, we hope, could retain within them a little of this centrifugal force which can push them in different directions. They are the expression of the individual identity of designers, their personal inclinations and sensitivities: a micro-world of very different objects, evoking a world where dreams, like in the best fairy tales, come true.”
“Il Tornitore Matto” explores new territories that place experimentation and freedom at the centre of the creative process. Designers are free to independently establish the rules of the creative process in which metal and the know-how of the craftsman play a leading role. This collection questions the relationship between artisanal product, work of art and industrial product.
Alberto Alessi: “I would like to demonstrate that, even with an old production technique subject to the limits dictated by the constraints of the industrial environment, human creativity can produce astonishing results. ‘’
This project highlights a machine that historically represented Alessi’s starting point in metalworking: the lathe. Alberto Alessi explains: “The lathe is the instrument at the origin of our profession. At the beginning of the 20th century, my grandfather Giovanni was a good turner, and until the 1940s, sheet metal turning was Alessi's typical process, then it was gradually replaced. I’m struck by the intimate dimension of working on the lathe: each operator has a large set of tools to use with the metal disc against the mould, and these tools have been specially manufactured for him, for his build and strength. They are his, and no one else could use them as effectively”.
Giulio Iacchetti: “Objects born from a rotational movement which, once released from the jaws of the chuck, we hope, could retain within them a little of this centrifugal force which can push them in different directions. They are the expression of the individual identity of designers, their personal inclinations and sensitivities: a micro-world of very different objects, evoking a world where dreams, like in the best fairy tales, come true.”
“Il Tornitore Matto” explores new territories that place experimentation and freedom at the centre of the creative process. Designers are free to independently establish the rules of the creative process in which metal and the know-how of the craftsman play a leading role. This collection questions the relationship between artisanal product, work of art and industrial product.
Alberto Alessi: “I would like to demonstrate that, even with an old production technique subject to the limits dictated by the constraints of the industrial environment, human creativity can produce astonishing results. ‘’
In detail:
Variation : Green
Brand : Alessi
Designer : Frederico Angi
Type : Centrepiece
Colour : Green
Material : Anodized aluminium
- Dimensions : Ø 34 x H 2.5 cm
- Weight : 1.144 lb
- Characteristics : Project date: 2025
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