“Memory and history serve to think about the future. Meeting other countries at this moment is crucial.” This assessment comes from Italian architect, curator, and researcher Nina Bassoli, the ambassador of Italian Design in Brazil in 2023. She was chosen to represent “Made in Italy” in the seventh edition of Italian Design Day, which takes place in one hundred cities around the world and has returned to in-person format after the pandemic.
Organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy, the Italian Design Day brought Nina Bassoli to Curitiba on Friday (10) for a lecture on sustainability. The chosen theme for this year, “Quality that illuminates – The energy of design for people and the environment,” closely matches Bassoli’s work at the centenary Triennale di Milano, where she leads a project on “Architecture, Urban Regeneration, and City.”
In an interview with HAUS, the specialist emphasized that sustainability has always been a fundamental theme, but it gains momentum with interdisciplinarity and dialogue.
“The idea of coexistence between people and the environment and so many other urban elements has always been present, but now there is a focus on environmental sustainability, energy issues, and the relationship with the environment. This focus arises from the debate between disciplines and different cultures. This makes it even more interesting for us to converse and exchange with other countries,” she said.
According to the specialist, there seems to be space and interest in Brazil related to the process of urban regeneration. She believes that the theme is advancing “as a thought” in the theoretical field, which is essential for the evolution of the discipline.
During her presentation, Nina Bassoli paid tribute to designers Humberto and Fernando Campana for their work, which she characterized as “a clear example of the exchange between Brazil and Italy and what sustainable design should be.” She also mentioned the rare participations of Brazil as a country in the Milan Triennale, historically marked by thirty-year gaps between them.
She emphasized that there is a great expectation that Brazil will participate in the next Triennale, not forgetting that Brazilian names are present constantly, albeit independently. One of the examples highlighted by the specialist was the participation of the Campana Brothers in 2010, when they presented ‘Antibodies.’ The exhibition, composed of various works by the duo (which lost Fernando in 2022), brought the characteristic richness of materials and forms, the use of recycled materials and their re-signification, encompassed by a logic of appropriation and transcendence – all more than a decade ago. “I think this is the quality that illuminates,” concluded Bassoli, paraphrasing the theme of the day.
This year, the activities of IDD 2023 were more extensive than in previous events. Before visiting Curitiba, the ambassador also had appointments in Rio de Janeiro, and there was still programming in the city of São Paulo.
