The new concept of Salone Ufficio 2013 was entrusted to the Pritzker Jean Nouvel. Apparently, the name of this archistar has aroused the enthusiasm of Italian and foreign manufacturers.
Should the French designer has the same effect on visitors, we would all rejoice at this marketing action for the striking media effect it had.
Apart from Nouvel’s high professional level and a not yet detailed concept, I must admit that my first reaction, no doubt a superficial and autarkic one, was: how can it be that no Italian architect was considered as valuable as Nouvel, to be entrusted with the new concept of Salone Ufficio?
Then, I thought that maybe the cultural meaning and prominence of the “real” Made in Italy, that has imposed the value of the Italian Way of Life and style all over the world (long before these terms turned trite and boring), lies just in its “sensitivity”. Sensitivity to outside signals, foreign professionals, ideas generated in every corner of the earth. This deep feeling of welcome underlying the entrepreneurs’ vision and business was one of the winning factors to be successful in design or fashion.
Waiting for more details about Nouvel’s concept for the new Salone Ufficio (expectations are high), much remains to be said about the very concept of “fair”, obsolete and not too appealing if it’s just a display of furniture without a consistent project about changes, corporate values and managerial trends, as well as the worker’s needs and the new Ways Of Working.
All the best to Jean Nouvel for his new job. I open a debate on these themes, to know also your opinions.
Interactive editorial by Renata Sias
