The other side of Gi\u00f2 Ponti, one of the greatest architects of the twentieth century, whom we wish to introduce to the public by examining his approach to the design of lived space \u2013 that is, everything that most deeply permeates our daily lives through objects, environments, colours and decorations that complement the ritual of food.<\/p>\n
And it is precisely this unique narrative of food presented by the Mercatino del Gusto \u2013 now in its 26th edition \u2013 that also focuses on the \u2018ability to design ideas\u2019, drawing on the culture of design and \u2018a form of design thinking ahead of its time\u2019. Through the exhibition of tableware designed by Gi\u00f2 Ponti, which captures the ritual of conviviality with its accessories, food \u2013 in harmony with this Mediterranean architecture \u2013 becomes \u201ca narrative of phenomena and habits, of social behaviours that interact on an equal footing with design, culture, art, the economy, the landscape and nature\u201d.<\/p>\n
It is, therefore, an exhibition showcasing the elements that accompany the daily act of eating, starting with the cutlery sets by Arthur Krupp and Christofle, moving on to table accessories such as dessert stands, fruit bowls and trays, and Sabattini\u2019s silverware. And then there are the many ceramic plates produced by Richard Ginori or \u2018Ceramiche Pozzi\u2019, the \u2018Bottiglie Abitate\u2019 reissued by Ceramica di Imola, and the Venini bottles, right through to the designs of the first American-style fabric placemats from 1955. <\/p>\n
These objects help us to better understand and interpret the complexity of Ponti\u2019s work, which simultaneously embraced nationalist codes with a particular focus on tradition, classicism and forms considered marginal, such as decoration.<\/p>\n
A body of work \u2013 and therefore an exhibition \u2013 entirely characterised by Italian spirit and, as such, belonging to a \u2018humanistic tradition\u2019; a body of work rich in imagination, attentive to decoration and a love of traditional materials such as wood, paper, textiles, ceramics and glass, yet one that also explored materials that were new at the time, such as aluminium, crystal and plastics. All this whilst remaining faithful to the rigour of design, which, for the architect Ponti, must always respect form and function in order to ensure a sort of intellectual \u2013 and perhaps moral \u2013 civilisation, restoring objects to what should have been their true, original form. <\/p>\n
And so, in Maglie \u2013 a place where the \u2018Mercatino del Gusto\u2019 event uses food to express culture, cultural exchange and openness towards other regions \u2013 the inclusion of works by the Milanese architect Gi\u00f2 Ponti, a master of Mediterranean style whose work is dedicated to the world of the table, can only add value to this event. Let us not forget that one of Ponti\u2019s most significant architectural projects, the Co-Cathedral of Taranto, was built in Puglia and stands as one of the symbols of 20th-century architecture. Its openwork \u2018sail\u2019, over 40 metres high, soars majestically, and Ponti himself often remarked that everyone would remember him as the designer of the Pirelli skyscraper in Milan rather than for the Co-Cathedral of Taranto, his final architectural work, which he loved so dearly.
\nA true tribute to the region of Puglia. <\/p>\n
Cintya Concari and Roberto Marcatti
\nEditors<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dining with Gio Ponti: the angels set the table
\nedited by Cintya Concari and Roberto Marcatti, co-edited by Salvatore Licitra
\nSfera Edizioni \u2013 Bari \u2013 2022
\nGraphic design: Donata Bologna
\nExhibition design: Cintya Concari and Roberto Marcatti \u2013 RMA Studio \u2013 Milan
\nWritten contributions by: Cintya Concari, Roberto Marcatti, Salvatore Licitra, Elena Dellapiana, Annalisa Di Roma, Ugo La Pietra, Giacomo Mojoli.
\nHonorary Sponsors: ADI; Lecce Order of Architects; Milan Order of Architects <\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":10967,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}}},"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[103],"product_tag":[],"class_list":["post-10966","product","type-product","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","product_cat-books","desktop-align-left","tablet-align-left","mobile-align-left","first","instock","taxable","shipping-taxable","purchasable","product-type-simple"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shop.mercatinodelgusto.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/10966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shop.mercatinodelgusto.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shop.mercatinodelgusto.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/product"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shop.mercatinodelgusto.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10966"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shop.mercatinodelgusto.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10967"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shop.mercatinodelgusto.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"product_brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shop.mercatinodelgusto.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_brand?post=10966"},{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shop.mercatinodelgusto.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat?post=10966"},{"taxonomy":"product_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shop.mercatinodelgusto.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_tag?post=10966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}