The Diplomat
The cities of Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Pamplona have been the setting for the celebration of the VI edition of the Italian Design Day (IDD) in Spain, organised by the Italian Embassy in Madrid and the Consulate General in Barcelona, in collaboration with the network of Italian Institutes of Culture.
These events were attended by two prestigious ambassadors: Professor Gianluca Pugliese, a specialist in 3D printing, and Alessandro Manetti, President and General Director of IED (European Institute of Design) Spain. The young designer Andrea de Chirico, founder of the alternative production network SUPERLOCAL, also took part in the activities. The theme of this year’s IDD was based on the concept of sustainability, an area in which Italy, Spain and the European Union as a whole are pursuing ambitious goals to promote the progressive decarbonisation of the economy.
Professor Pugliese spoke at the “LABA Valencia School of Art, Design & New Media”, linked to the Italian Free Academy of Fine Arts, while in the afternoon he was the protagonist of another lecture at the IED in Madrid. During the event, the Italian Ambassador, Riccardo Guariglia, stressed that “in the field of design, new and continuous experiments are being carried out, especially regarding the use of new materials, such as food waste. Therefore, 3D printing can open up new opportunities for the circular economy and production methods.” “Our aim, he pointed out, is to extend our radius of action as much as possible to the whole of Spain, including in the field of design.”
In Madrid, the winners of the design competition, ITmakES design: a bridge between Italy and Spain, launched last year by the Embassy, together with the Association of Designers of Madrid – DIMAD, the Official College of Architects of Madrid – COAM, the Association of Industrial Designers of Barcelona ADI-FAD, the Association of Designers of the Valencian Community (ADCV) and the renowned Italian magazine Interni, were announced.
For their part, the Consulate General of Italy in Barcelona and the Instituto Italiano de Cultura have promoted, together with the local branch of the IED and the ambassador Alessandro Manetti, a workshop for students in the final years of the Liceo Italiano in Barcelona and the Liceo Chierici in Reggio Emilia. The seminar SUPERLOCAL, producción 0 millas organised in Pamplona by the Italian Institute of Culture of Madrid in collaboration with the University of Navarra and the designer Andrea de Chirico completed the panorama of initiatives.
