Symbolism echoes across Alessi's 'Myth Makes Belief', traversing imaginative realms

For the ongoing Milan Design Week 2024, renowned Italian design company Alessi pursues myths as origins for what is possible and fantasises shaping life into reality, with their engaging installation Myth Makes Belief. Underscored by a narrative and sculptural nature, the design installation features fresh collections and products conceived by stellar creatives such as Oki Sato of Nendo, Michael Anastassiades, and Naoto Fukasawa, jointly imbued with the ‘creative magic’ that distinguishes Alessi as a company. Created by Los Angeles-based creative studio PlayLab, Inc., with graphic design conceived by Studio Temp, Myth Makes Belief runs from April 16 – 21, 2024, set grand and inviting within the eighteenth-century Palazzo Borromeo D’Adda in via Manzoni, Milan, Italy, during the design event.

Not merely a design exhibition for Alessi's new products, Myth Makes Belief incorporates elements that encompass the public at the design festival too: ‘The Lake,’ representing the company’s material, cultural and imaginative roots; ‘The Mascot,’ which involves the creation of a character and in relation, worldbuilding that further represents the brand; and ‘The Masks,’ which visitors will be encouraged to wear as they partake in the installation, becoming the narrative’s evolving cast.

Relating their installation’s design to art, origins, history and myth, PlayLab, Inc. conceived a character that represents Alessi in a ‘fantastical and mystical manner’ for the participatory installation—a dragon egg, born from the imagination yet tangibly linked to the creative nature of the brand and its cultural origins rooted in the Lake Orta area.

“To represent Alessi, PlayLab, Inc. has chosen the egg to visualise the unfolding of creative power, [which] is the essence of Alessi and its work. The continuous research that leads to innovative projects, always different from previous ones, and the constant weaving of relationships with different designers that bring new imagery [is] an incessant (re)birth. The creative power embodied by the dragon conveys the deepest essence of Alessi’s journey of art, research and imagination, challenging what is probable [to] conquer unexplored domains of manufacturing,” states the press release shared by the renowned Italian kitchen and homeware brand.

The installation at the design fair begins at the fountain resting at the heart of the historic Palace court, establishing a dialogue with the surrounding elegant neoclassical colonnade. In its womb lies an almost comically large white egg, about to hatch, with taloned feet of a powerful, fabled creature poised to emerge—the imminent arrival of a dragon here pays homage to the main character of an ancient legend set on the island of San Giulio, on Lake Orta. Water trickles down from cracks in the egg’s upper part, flowing into the fountain as its final resting place, a spring feeding a basin. “Imaginative symbolism ricochets across the installation,” explains Alessi.

Flanking this central element are four ‘historiated sculptures’ arranged along the arches of the portico, unveiling the visual narration of four moments defining Alessi’s mythical origin story, as imagined by PlayLab, Inc. These stained-glass sculptural designs were crafted by a traditional stained-glass artisan for the immersive installation at the design week, gaining the verisimilitude of the multicoloured fenestrations in medieval cathedrals.

Alternating with the sculptures along the arcades in an almost ritualistic performance are the four displays of Alessi’s latest product designs rooted in reality yet adverting to imaginary worlds: The Toru electric kettle, the first of a collection of stainless-steel appliances designed by Nendo for Alessi; Michael Anastassiades’ Menhir espresso coffee maker; The Eugenia glassware and the Itsumo porcelain tableware sets, both designed by Naoto Fukasawa.

“At the entrance, visitors will receive a mask with which they will have the opportunity to perceive, in a fantastic collective experience, the subtle boundary between myth and reality. This reversal of roles between object and subject, observer and observed, occurs by wearing a series of masks that represent some of Alessi’s iconic designs, such as the timeless Juicy Salif by Philippe Starck and La Conica by Aldo Rossi,” the company states.

This way, visitors become an active part of the installation, shaping its storytelling with their presence, reactions, and emotions, “resulting in a constantly evolving mirror of reality. A choice that has a deliberately inclusive value. The audience will live an articulated, involving and performative experience, a journey to the core of Alessi to understand its essence,” they establish.

Toru electric kettle by Nendo

Through matter: a clever and ironic composition of volumes.

Nendo’s new electric kettle for Alessi references the Japanese word Toru, which means ‘through’—“like an arrow hurled into the sky, like a buried seedling piercing the earth on its way upward, like a flower that emerges from the seed and pushes its way through the soil,” as the press release mentions. The clean elegance of the industrial design’s steel form also cites the long tradition of metalworking that Alessi is characterised for.

Toru’s stainless-steel form appears perforated by a solid black tubular element that seems at first, a curved handle on one side and then serves as a waterspout exiting the other side. An imagined, continuous line traverses the electric pot in a crossover figure, enhancing the steel profile’s purity. The resulting visual effect is in parts, a mathematic concept, and in parts, a childlike-flavoured illusionistic game, according to the product designer.

“The handle of a kettle is usually gripped from the side, but thanks to its upper curve being attached to the top, the loop is easy to grip from above, to lift the kettle off the power base. Hot water is smoothly poured by holding the upper part of the handle and lightly tilting the kettle,” shares Nendo, the design firm based in Tokyo, Japan, and Milan, Italy.

The base softly rounds off the bottom sides of the electric kettle. When connected for heating, the two parts integrate seamlessly, and when separated, their aesthetics remain intact. “And so, Toru preserves the accomplished lines of its design both while pouring the water and while warming it,” the studio settles.

Menhir espresso coffee maker by Michael Anastassiades

A steel sculpture for one of modern life’s last rituals: preparing coffee.

Menhir, the new espresso coffee maker designed for Alessi by Michael Anastassiades alludes to “the proportions and commanding strength of classical architecture; the magisterial charm of a ritual object; a distinctive statuary assertiveness that captures the eye,” the company shares. Menhir’s lines are termed ‘essential’ as they substantiate the heftiness of a megalith, explaining its name (a towering stone positioned vertically by people in prehistoric times). “The archaic meaning of such monumental stones remains unknown, but scholars hypothesise that their use was ceremonial or religious. Anastassiades associated the narrative legends behind the mysterious monoliths, and their attractive whiff of myth, with one of the objects closest to the idea of a cultus within the home today: the espresso coffee maker,” they continue.

To quote the London-based eponymous company, “Today, I can only speak of one of the most important modern daily rituals; that of making coffee. I was excited by the challenge of designing the Moka, the most iconic tool used for its preparation.”

Anastassiades’ coffee maker also began its journey from the iconic Moka, evoking ancient Hellenic columns in its form. Each detail was examined in scrutiny to obtain maximum expressiveness, soon realised within the stainless-steel form of Menhir, which is fitted with a burgundy handle in thermoplastic resin.

“I wanted an even number of sides so that I could integrate the spout by using a pre-existing point along the symmetrical axis to pour from naturally. I sliced off the top of the body at a 15-degree slant to highlight a direction of use, with the lower point becoming an obvious place to attach the handle. I made the handle section square, reducing the number of sides by two, and rotated it by 45 degrees, so that [the] edges would meet at the point of attachment. Where the handle turns down, I introduced a cut to create a diamond shape, providing a flat facet to rest the thumb when pouring,” Anastassiades explains.

The Alessi technical office perfectly executed his ideas into reality as Menhir, demonstrating the factory’s acumen in steel plate processing, which comes as no surprise—the espresso coffee maker remains a key object in the company’s production range to date, beginning in 1979 with the 9090-model designed by German industrial designer Richard Sapper.

Itsumo tableware by Naoto Fukasawa

Transforms everyday rituals into special, valuable moments.

The Japanese term Itsumo translates to ‘every day and usually,’ and was chosen by Japanese designer, author, and educator Naoto Fukasawa, as the name of his white porcelain tableware for Alessi. Itsumo’s plain (read: essential) features find roots in the desire to create a collection that can adapt to sundry culinary traditions.

“Food culture has changed quite a lot in recent years - there is not only one type of local food in a particular place, but a much wider variety of food and a mix of cultures. For that reason, the plate has to suit any kind of food, and therefore to be a simple form, without a traditional decoration,” the product designer conveys.

The tableware appears restrained and plain, bordering on being too simple, but conceals a subtle and thoughtful design detail that distinguishes each element in the set. “It’s called donkaku, Japanese for ‘obtuse angle’. It is a very tiny edge in the middle of the gently curved surface of each item. This is not only visible detail, [but] also a strong tactile feature that you notice once you touch and feel the tableware,” says Fukasawa, elaborating on the understated sensorial experiences that Itsumo imparts by engaging sight and touch. “Such measured restraint offers a unique experience,” Alessi mentions.

Itsumo is available in two versions, in white or with a blue pattern: the latter called Itsumo - Yunoki ware indulges in a decoration designed in collaboration with centenarian artist Samiro Yunoki, “whose basic yet poetic contribution is a perfect complement to Fukasawa’s harmonious concept,” according to the brand. This work would be the artist's last. The pattern design adds grace and subtle colour to a dining setting, reflecting the importance Yunoki held for enjoying life and food.

Eugenia glassware by Naoto Fukasawa

A multi-sensory experience where detail makes the difference.

The name of the glassware set is a direct homage to Alberto Alessi’s passion for wine, produced in his own winery which he named La signora Eugenia e il passero solitario. Fukasawa mentions that on the many occasions that he visited Alberto (the grandson of the company’s founder, Giovanni Alessi) and drank wine with him, he was encouraged to create glasses for his wine, which is held within a “special bottle with a peculiar format, whose lines are inspired by a conical bottle designed by Leonardo da Vinci,” Alessi shares.

Inspired by the tapering shape of the bottles, Fukasawa decided to incorporate the waist of the obtuse angle in the entire collection, crafting objects suffused with a minimal and elegant design. Eugenia reflects an intended cohesion between form and function, in line with Fukasawa’s approach to design based on ‘absolute simplicity’ and aiming to harmonise people, objects, and spaces.

As in Itsumo, Fukasawa implements donkaku within the Eugenia crystalline glassware, guiding the shapes in the collection. Alessi relays that “[tactility] makes the object interesting to touch and feel—a slight touch of the finger… When your lips touch the glass, you feel the rim rising slightly in the vertical direction. This detail is simple but quite unique... Although barely perceptible, they improve the quality of our impressions and amplify the value of every instant, giving heightened awareness to habitual routines—almost an informal meditation.”

Most design entities now may simply seem like objects of mere convenience or aesthetics, but carry in them strains of diverse stories, experiments, materials, forms, geographies, and of people charting generations. These were once just ideas in someone’s head. Bound by functions, these carry within themselves, tales of shared experiences through time and rituals, of myths dreamt and believed by many, myths that found meaning as manifested designs. Myth Makes Belief puts this influence and natural creative progression on display, with contemporary designs that congregate as symbols of the past and functional artefacts of the present, while placing the legacy of the 103-year-old design brand into a refreshed context at the design festival.

Alessi’s ‘Myth Makes Belief’ is open to the public from April 16 – 21, 2024, at Palazzo Borromeo d’Adda, Via Manzoni, 41, 20121 Milano, Italy.

Stay tuned to STIR's coverage of Milan Design Week 2024 which showcases the best of exhibitions, studios, designers, installations, brands and events to look out for. Explore EuroCucina and all the design districts—Fuorisalone, 5vie Design Week, Isola Design Week, Brera Design District and Porta Venezia Design District.