Vico Magistretti. Between Milano and the World
International conference
Curated by Nina Bassoli, Gabriele Neri, Marco Sammicheli
October 5, 2023
Triennale Milano, Milan, Italy

Triennale Milano and Fondazione Vico Magistretti organize the first international conference on the work of the Milanese architect and designer, in order to stimulate a new wave of studies to update the horizons of research, in Italy and abroad, with an international perspective.
In spite of the many exhibitions, publications and cultural initiatives developed in recent years, the work of the Milanese architect and designer Vico Magistretti (1920- 2006) still offers countless themes and paths of research yet to be explored. One of them has to do with the exceptional network of international relationships that Magistretti and his work have been able to create directly and indirectly from 1945 to the present. Just to give some examples: his university experience in Switzerland during the war; his trips to the Americas, Asia and the Middle East; his works of architecture abroad (in Argentina, Japan, Spain, England, and many other countries.); the role of his works in the international debate after World War II; the collaboration with foreign companies (in England, Germany, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Japan, etc.); his teaching activity at the Royal College of Art in London; the participation in many competitions abroad; the presence of his works in magazines, books and exhibitions abroad; the international reputation he achieved, which has taken his work into the most famous museums in the world, including the MoMA in New York and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.
Among these multiple geographies, Milan appears to be an exceptional cultural and logistic base for Magistretti, thanks to a relevant architectural, industrial and artistic panorama, whose particular features – related both to the reception of impulses from abroad and to the spread of Italian design in the world - still need to be studied in greater depth.

Types of contributions
The conference provides two types of contribution. Each contribution must be original and never presented elsewhere prior to the conference.
1) Papers
The first type of contribution consists of a paper lasting 20-25 minutes, to be presented during the day of the conference. These contributions, of a historical- analytical, theoretical and/or critical nature, should be the result of in-depth research based on archival sources, on historiographic and bibliographic re-elaborations, on unpublished testimonies, etc. Among the issues on which the conference aims to shed light are:
• the Swiss experience of Vico Magistretti during the war years, as a founding moment for his training as an architect;
• Vico Magistretti's international relationships with institutions, colleagues, artists, clients, entrepreneurs, universities, companies, etc.
• the commissions, collaborations and external consultations carried out by Vico Magistretti abroad, on every project scale;
• the continuous and privileged relationships with countries such as the United Kingdom, Japan, the countries of Northern Europe, the United States, etc. ;
• the international reception of his objects and buildings in publications, catalogues, exhibitions, etc., starting from the 1940s, as an element in the construction of his reputation on media favoured by relationships with institutions, mentors, colleagues, clients, companies, etc.;
• the international presence of Vico Magistretti (in the role of architect, designer, lecturer, speaker, scholar, etc.) as an exemplary case of the spread of made in Italy in the world from 1945 to today;
• the direct (for example at the Royal College of Art in London since 1979) and indirect influence of Magistretti's teachings on the younger generations of designers;
• Vico Magistretti's design, technological and cultural references abroad (also through analysis of his numerous travels);
• the commercial success of Vico Magistretti's design projects around the world, monitored from different perspectives, through corporate archives: the numbers related to this success, communication and advertising strategies, etc.;
• the current status of Vico Magistretti's buildings abroad;
• the interaction between the contents of the Milanese archive (both in its physical version at Via Conservatorio in Milan and in its digital version at archivio.vicomagistretti.it) and the archives of institutions, companies and individuals in Italy and around the world.
Within this framework, the conference is also open to further issues, which are capable of renewing the consolidated interpretations of Vico Magistretti work. The goal is to compose a mosaic of new geographies and perspectives on his work, and consequently on Italian architectural and design culture of the twentieth and twenty- first centuries.
2) Thanks Vico! – Call for Curators
The second type of contribution is set aside for participants under 35 (who have not yet turned 35 at the date of publication of this Call). Aiming for a wider openness to other approaches, disciplines, tools and narratives, this Call requires the proposal of a curatorial project designed to be exhibited/realised in Fondazione Vico Magistretti in 2024.
The Call for Curators is open to various figures (architects, designers, artists, directors, video makers, photographers, etc.) and can foresee different results and means of communication/representation (exhibition project, installation, podcast, documentary, photographic project, etc.). Editorial projects are excluded.
The proposals can be linked to the themes of the conference, but they can also imagine further interpretations or representations of the work of Vico Magistretti and his influence. A privileged source may be the Vico Magistretti digital archive, which offers an endless wealth of materials online: archivio.vicomagistretti.it
The winning proposal will be presented on the day of the conference. Subsequently, it will be developed together with Fondazione Vico Magistretti to be completed in 2024.
Technical data: a map of the spaces of Fondazione Vico Magistretti is attached to this Call. The proposal, corresponding to a preliminary project, will have to indicatively require a budget of 10,000 € for its implementation. The proposal will be rewarded with 2,000 € when completed.

Submission
Proposals must be submitted by April 15, 2023 to fondazionevicomagistretti.it. All
proposals will be subject to peer review by the Board of Advisors of the conference.
1) Papers
Proposals, in Italian or in English, must include:
• title
• abstract (max 250 words or 1500 characters including spaces)
• short CV (max 250 words or 1500 characters including spaces) + institutional affiliation (if any)
• 5 keywords
• the papers should last 20 minutes. The screening of images will be possible (from .pdf files)
2) Thanks Vico
Proposals, in Italian or in English, must include:
• title
• abstract (max 250 words or 1500 characters including spaces)
• graphic development of the proposal (storyboards, drawings, etc.) in max 10 pages.
• short CV (max 250 words or 1500 characters including spaces) + institutional affiliation (if any)
• 5 keywords

Further information
Registration and access
There will be no registration fees. A limited number of travel grants will be available, especially for participants under 35.
The conference is open to the public.
Conference proceedings
The publication of conference proceedings will be considered following the event. Papers for publication will be requested after the conference has taken place.
Keynote lectures
In addition to the contributions selected through the Call for Papers, the conference includes the presence of well-known guest lecturers.

Deadlines
Proposals must be submitted by April 15, 2023
Authors of selected proposals will be notified by May 15, 2023
The winner of the “Call for Curators” will be notified by May 15, 2023 International conference: October 5, 2023

All information about the call are available at:
(ENG)
https://www.vicomagistretti.it/it/attivita/eventi/vico-magistretti-tra-milano-e-il-mondo?language=en
(ITA)
https://triennale.org/trasparenza/vico-magistretti-milano-mondo-convegno
https://www.vicomagistretti.it/it/attivita/eventi/vico-magistretti-tra-milano-e-il-mondo?language_content_entity=it