DESCRIPTION: Fifteen Things explores intertwinings between design, science, technology, society, art, and culture by means of the excavation of fifteen objects from different periods in the history of modern Italian design, from the turn of the 20th century to the present. Combining micro- and macro- perspectives, it approaches design history from a broad aesthetic, historical, and socio-anthropological standpoint. The seminar combines readings from contemporary Thing Theory, material culture studies, and design history, with materials from literature, popular culture, and media. It is built around a chronologically ordered sequence of case studies of exemplary things: artifacts designed for purposes of sitting, drinking, lighting, walking, moving about, cooling down, cooking and cleaning, writing and calculating, or media viewing. The sequence begins with Carlo Bugattis Liberty style masterpiece, the Cobra chair, first exhibited at the Turin 1902 International Decorative Arts Exhibition. It concludes with Valerio Comettis 2006 Alpha lcd tv design, an attempt to reinvigorate the now moribund Brionvega brand, once associated with breakthrough designs by the likes of Marco Zanuso and Mario Bellini. Each session of the seminar will be devoted to the thick description, analysis, and study of an individual case examined with respect to the broader family of objects to which it belongs (whether Italian or non- Italian), to the historical context in which it was produced, and to the social settings into which it inserted itself. Emphasis will be placed on the interaction between design thinking, the genealogical frameworks within which a given object is cast, and the century-long history of each class of objects. Though chronologically ordered, each session will be concerned with 20th century design history as a whole.
The seminars aims are: to prompt reflection on the complexity of design thinking and processes through the in-depth study of historical examples; to promote insights into how objects shape and are shaped by everyday life; to sift out what is global vs. distinctively Italian about the case histories examined; and to think critically about the object lessons provided by fifteen iconic designs from the history of Italian design with respect to contemporary practices in architecture and design. READINGS: the bulk of the course readings will be assigned on a week-by-week basis and either distributed electronically or found on the reserve shelves of the Loeb Library. Three books have been ordered for the course and are available at the Harvard Coop: --Harvey Molotch, Where Stuff Comes From, NYC and London: Routledge, 2003 [a broadly framed, sociological study of the genesis and place of everyday things] --Giampiero Bosoni, Italian Design, NYC and Milan: MOMA / 5 continents, 2008 [a thumbnail sketch of Italian design history with a decade-by-decade breakdown of major categories and currents] --Pier Paride Vidar, ed., On my Vespa, Italy on the Move, Milan: Charto, 2006 [our principal sourcebook for week 7 of the seminar devoted to scooter design] All course readings are in English. SEMINAR REQUIREMENTS: aside from regular attendance, careful preparation of course materials, and active participation in seminar discussion, there are two requirements of all enrolled students, one oral and one a final research project. --all enrolled students are expected to make a 15 minute in-class presentation that provides a detailed interpretation of a specific design artifact related to the iconic object under consideration during a given week of the seminar. These presentations should be tightly focused on decoding a single artifact, so they need not presume a great deal of attention to context or background information. --all enrolled students are expected to set to work early in the semester on a design project that either proposes a contemporary reinterpretation (i.e. an updating) of one of the iconic 15 things around which the seminar is built or creates a fictional past object related to one of these 15 things. Wedding historical reasearch and analysis to design thinking and practice, this assignment asks you to make an argument through and around a design that reflects critically upon the materials examined in the course of the semester. The project should ideally consist in: a) a set of presentation drawings or models of the object [format and materials of your choice]; b) a narrative that positions it with respect to the category of objects to which it belongs; and c) a set of materials an imaginary press campaign or set of advertisements, a set of hypothetical scenarios, for examplethat imagine how this product could have been or might be communicated, and/or the actual social uses to which it could be put. Student projects from the seminar will serve as the basis for a small exhibition to be held in the Special Collections room of the Loeb library in early 2010. GRADING: final grades for the seminar will be calculated on the following basis: class preparation and participation (40%); final seminar paper and class presentation (60%).

Grafiche Moretti, 2004) [pdf]; Gail Cooper, Air-conditioning America, (Baltimore and London: Johns Hopkins, 1998). pp. 51-79 [reserve]. KEEPING TIME 1960 Gino Valle, teleindicatori numerici, Solari related objects: Gino Valle, Cifra 3 clock, Solari (1965) comparison cases: ufficio tecnico, orologio Radiomir, Officine Panerai (1938); Enzo Mari, Timor perpetual calendar, Danese (1966); ufficio tecnico, orologio tubogas, Bulgari (1975) readings: Robert Levine, A Geography of Time, (NY: Basic Books, 1997), pp. 51- 80 and 129-152; Paul Starkey, Time and Work, in Blyton, Hassard, Hill, Starkey, Time, Work and Organization, (London/NY: Routledge, 1989), pp. 35-56 [reserve Loeb]; Joo do Rio, The Rush to Finish Up, in Schnapp, Speed Limits, (Milan: Skira, 2009), pp 247-250. links: http://www.solari.it/; http://www.solari.it/ita/soluzioni/orologi.php
COOKING :: WASHING 1960 Gino Colombini, scolapiatti a muro smontabile KS 1171/2, Kartell [a] 1964 Joe Colombo, Carellone mini-kitchen, Boffi [b] predecessors: [a] Giulio Castelli, portasci brevetto Pirelli, Kartell (1952); [b] R. Buckminster Fuller, kitchen and bathroom designs for dymaxion house [1945]; R. Buckminster Fuller, Autonomous living units [1949]; Alberto Rosselli, Unit bagno in plastica, Montecatini (1957) descendants: [a] Marco Zanuso, cucina E5, Elam-Tisettanta (1971); ufficio tecnico, piano cottura rialzabile (1990), Alpes; [b] Giulio Iacchetti & Matteo Ragni, Moscardino (Spork), Pandora Design (2000); Ernesto Meda, Solaris kitchen, Ernestomeda (2008) related objects: [a] Giovanni Guzzini, Raimondo Guzzini e Piero Cruciani, contenitori in plastica bicolore, Fratelli Guzzini (1954); Roberto Menghi, contenitori per liquidi, Pirelli (1958); Joe Colombo, carello portaoggetti Boby, Bieffeplast (1970) [b] Joe Colombo, Living Center, Rosenthal (1970) comparison cases: Earl Tupper, Tupperware (1939) links: www.kartell.it; www.fratelliguzzini.com; http://www.ernestomeda.com; readings: have a look at Christine Frederich, Household Engineering: Scientific Management in the Home, (Chicago: American School of Home Economics, 1920) [available on Google Books]; Ignazia Favata, Joe Colombo and the Italian Design of the Sixties, (Cambridge: MIT, 1988), pp. 11-22, 110-117 [Loeb reserve]; selections from Klaus Spechtenhauser, The Kitchen Life World, Usage, Perspectives, (Basel, Boston, Berlin: ETH / Birkhauser, 2006), pp. 45-71 [Loeb reserve]; Augusto Morello & Anna Castelli Ferreri, Plastic and Design, (Milan:
Arcadia, 1988), pp. 41-58 plus have a quick look/read through the projects described in pp. 65-113 [Loeb reserve]. consult pamphlets on reserve at Loeb: Good Housekeeping Institute, How to plan a modern kitchen; The Gas Industry and Jane B. Drew, Kitchen Planning: A Brochure of New Plans and Suggestions for Labour-Saving Kitchens; Agricultural Experiment Station, Iowa State College, Make your kitchen modern WRITING :: +/-/X/ ing 1969 Ettore Sottsass, Valentine typewriter, Olivetti [a] 1973 Mario Bellini, Divisumma 18, Olivetti [b] predecessors: [a] Camillo Olivetti e uff. Tecnico, M1 typewriter, Olivetti (1911); Aldo Magnelli, MP1, Olivetti (1932); Marcello Nizzoli, Lexicon 80, Olivetti (1948); Marcello Nizzoli, Lettera 22 portable typewriter (1950); [b] Marcello Nizzoli, Elettrosumma, Olivetti (1946); Marcello Nizzoli, Divisumma 24, Olivetti (1956); Marcello Nizzoli, Quanta, Olivetti (1959); Ettore Sottsass, Logos 27, Olivetti (1965) descendants: [a] Ettore Sottsass, Lettera 36, Olivetti (1970); Mario Bellini, Lettera 25, Olivetti (1974); Mario Bellini, Lettera 35, Olivetti (1974); Mario Bellini, Lexicon 82, Olivetti (1975); Mario Bellini, ETP 55 portable typewriter, Olivetti (1985) [b] Mario Bellini, Logos 42, Olivetti (1977); Mario Bellini, Logos 3, Olivetti (1978); Mario Bellini, Logos 7, Olivetti (1978); Mario Bellini, Logos 9, Olivetti (1980); Mario Bellini, Logos 80, Olivetti (1980) related objects: [b] Mario Bellini, Programma 101, Olivetti (1965); Mario Bellini, TCV 250 video display terminal, Olivetti (1966); Mario Bellini, Logos 50-60, Olivetti (1973); Mario Bellini, Divisumma 28, Olivetti (1973) readings: Cara McArthy, Mario Bellini designer, (New York: MOMA, 1987); case studies from Sibylle Kicherer, Olivetti A Study of the Corporate Management of Design, (New York: Rizzoli, 1990), pp. 125-162. links: www.computermuseum.it VIEWING 2007 -- Valerio Cometti, Brion Vega Alpha design lcd tv, SuperFluo predecessors: Dario Montagni, Sergio Berizzi, Cesare Butt, Phonola tv modello 1718, Phonola (1956); Marco Zanuso, Richard Sapper, Doney tv, Brionvega (1962); Marco Zanuso, Richard Sapper, Algol 11, Brionvega (1964); Marco Zanuso, Richard Sapper, Black 201, Brionvega (1969); Mario Bellini, Alta Fedelt (1979); Mario Bellini, Cuboglass, Brionvega (1992) readings: selected excerpts from Anne Friedberg's The Virtual Window, (London: MIT Press, 2006); other readings [tbd] links: http://www.tvhistory.tv/; http://www.earlytelevision.org/; http://www.visual-media.be/television.html; http://www.movingimage.us;