Beautiful objects must contain three things: curiosity, fun and sympathy, said Achille Castiglioni. Do you think this is the reason why analogy and conceptual shift are so present in his work?

Giovanna Castiglioni: “You either have sympathy or you don’t. If you are nice, you can have fun; and to have fun, you have to feed curiosity. It is a wonderful cycle that allows you to observe objects with ever new eyes, depending on your mood or the time of day.

For Castiglioni, the physical approach to the object, that “I like it” or “I don’t like it”, was fundamental. Functionality and economy were integrated into his projects, but for him the really important thing was to make the object undergo a human and intelligent evolution.

Let's take the stool “Sella” for example: it's fun, but not nice. If we had to build a scheme, we would say: fun yes, curiosity yes, sympathy no. When you touch it and it moves it can be scary, it's uncomfortable.

But when you start using it, you discover that it's not dangerous, on the contrary, it's fun. It's the story that transforms fun, curiosity and sympathy into a method. Amazement at the shape is not enough.

Another example: the spoon Sleek: the fun is lacking, the shape is nice, it resembles a smile. The smile comes when you really understand its purpose: not only is it longer than a finger and collects jam in every corner of the jar, but it has a flat side to spread it on bread.

And this is where the wonder for design comes in: a project that solves every function linked to a gesture, without decorative frills, cute drawings or complex conceptualizations. Other objects that are inspired by this logic are the Snoopy lamp and the Mezzadro stool.

They are the result of an ironic conceptual shift”.

In the history of design there have been other designers who have used analogy as a method. One of the most striking is Michael Graves, who claimed that if a project is funny it will be successful. What is the difference between him and Castiglioni?

Giovanna Castiglioni: “Achille Castiglioni was a pure industrial designer, because he did not compromise with marketing. Starting with the switch, which is certainly not a flirtatious project but completely democratic for serious reasons.

He designed to enter everyone's homes, he abhorred the idea that design should serve marketing.

The most beautiful images are those of him with Flos salesmen, to whom he explained his projects and asked what they thought.

Castiglioni liked to talk to people who were not in his profession and with students; he always wanted to understand how his work was perceived. This open-mindedness was also a way to have fun.

I always found it fascinating how easy it was to understand what he was saying, because he didn't feel the need for big speeches. An example is the AC04 fruit bowl and drainer by Alessi: it is similar to the bowl you find at your grandmother's house, with a small pedestal that makes it look slim, but the real design is in the concave bottom that prevents water from stagnating.

This simplicity, without conceptual superstructures, makes Castiglioni's work even more relevant today when the immediacy of design choices leads to the simplicity we really need. When you understand the good functional reasons of a form, a wonder is born that transforms into sympathy and curiosity. And into joy”.

Can the Castiglioni method be taught?

Giovanna Castiglioni: “Yes, absolutely, because it is extremely understandable. Reducing components to a minimum is always the most complex task. For Castiglioni, the analogy was based on a simple question: “How much can an anonymous object be improved and transformed?”

The milking seat becomes a bicycle saddle for short phone calls; they are two different objects, but both are used for sitting. Or think of a portable glass that becomes the Giovi lamp: a paradigm shift. There are analogies and analogies, and by telling them in this way, people feel closer to the design world.

I believe that this is the most correct mental attitude for designing today, avoiding the superstructures that are always lurking, especially in marketing offices. If the reaction to a project is “it will never sell,” enthusiasm collapses, and so does fun.

Castiglioni, with his authority and experience, could afford to choose firmly. He got angry and sometimes compromised, but perhaps today we feel nostalgic for enlightened entrepreneurs, who put themselves in the hands of designers without being distracted by other voices. It was a trust that opened up to risk and lightness".

Is it still possible to take ourselves less seriously today?

Giovanna Castiglioni: “Absolutely yes, we should return to the lightness of the project as an antidote to the immobility and fear that make us look at the masters of the past as the authors of museum works.

Objects destined to become iconic are born with an aura of eternity that does not necessarily make them particularly likeable. The Arco lamp, for example. It has never been likeable, not even to Achille, who in fact has never had it at home.

Instead, a few days ago, during a meeting with school teachers, I placed the Sleek spoon and the Moscardino fork/spoon by Giulio Iacchetti and Matteo Ragni next to each other.

I asked if they were not objects too “light” in this historical moment. There was a chorus of denial and people did not stop smiling. There is still a lot to design, having fun, with a childlike, innocent look, that allows itself to play”.

Are there moments when Castiglioni was serious?

Giovanna Castiglioni: “Castiglioni was serious when he designed architecture in the post-war period. The Palazzo della Permanente is a very serious, modernist architecture.

It was a time when we had to respond to the emergency. Another good example is the TR15 hospital bed, designed with the orthopedic surgeon Ernesto Zerbi to create an object suitable for all clinical situations, taking into account the needs of patients, healthcare personnel and hospital spaces.

But even in the installations he always left a hint of irony. He staged the objects to show industrial design with a humorous eye. He really enjoyed himself.

He was part of a generation that emerged from the war, he had been a soldier, like many other architects of the time. Experiences that make you appreciate the lightness of the reconstruction periods”.