Italian Design Days in Georgia: architects, artists celebrate innovation, sustainability
Ambassador of Italy Enrico Valvo (pictured right) and Irakli Karseladze, the Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia (middle) launched the Design Days event on Monday. Photo via event organisers.
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Italian professionals and companies from the fields of architecture, design and restoration are showcasing the country's pedigree in the fields as part of Italian Design Days in Georgia, a two-day celebration organised for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic curtailed cultural exchanges and displays.
Revolving around the three concepts of Restoration, Innovation and Sustainability, the event launched on Monday through an occasion that involved dignitaries from the two countries, architectural firms from Italy, artist designs and an awards ceremony.
Representing the Georgian segment of the Italian Design Days campaign that sees the foreign ministry of Italy team up with the Italian Trade Agency to host the occasion around the world, the event saw in-person workshops and talks as well as remote involvement from the Italian firms and agencies unable to travel to Georgia.
Inaugurated by the ???????? Ambassador and the ???????? Minister of Infrastructures, the ???????? design days in ????????combined artistic, economic and cultural initiatives, in collaboration with @ITABaku_. More then 50 experts attended remotely from ????????, plus in-person participants from both countries. pic.twitter.com/PVc8vuEH2b
— Italy in Georgia (@ItalyinGeorgia) June 22, 2021
Among highlights of the launch day was a sculpture by Edoardo Malagigi - who has featured at major international displays including the Venice Biennale and the Abaco Space contemporary art and culture centre in Berlin - created using eco-sustainable approach specifically for the occasion.
The exhibit is a larger-size reproduction of the cupola-shaped coffee-maker designed in 1985 by Aldo Rossi for Alessi, an Italian housewares and kitchen utensil company - an item that became an iconic example of Italian design. Titled Cupola, the environmentally friendly sculpture by Malagigi was produced using waste and recycling materials from the Georgian Social Enterprise 'Green Gift'.
Sculptor Edoardo Malagigi's eco-sustainable exhibit 'Cupola', as displayed at the occasion. Photo via event organisers.
In other sections of the occasion, the Italian Council of Architects, Planners, Landscapers and Conservatives joined their Georgian counterparts in a workshop set up to facilitate networking opportunities, with Italian architectural firms presenting their concept of a historical building in Georgia's western province of Imereti. They also discussed an architectural vision for Tskaltubo, a resort town in the province.
Georgia's Municipal Development Fund, the Association of Architects, the Union of Architects and the State Academy of Arts were a part of the first day of the Design Days agenda where associations, firms and state agencies exchanged their visions and discussed cooperation.
[The concepts of Restoration, Innovation and Sustainability] have been developed by presenting experiences related to the excellences of Italian design in the world from an artistic, academic and business point of view
- Italian Design Days organisers
The Italian Design Days in Georgia programme also hosted for the 'Italianness in Georgia' photo competition, organised in collaboration between the Italian embassy and the Milan-based Instituto Europeo di Design.
Photographer Nino Zakaraia earned the First Prize of the contest, with her Italian counterpart Nicolo Vincenzo Malvestuto awarded the Jury Prize. The former will now have an opportunity to benefit from a scholarship of the Milan institute for a 2022 summer course at the offices of the venue.
Dignitaries including the Ambassador of Italy Enrico Valvo and Irakli Karseladze, the Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia, inaugurated the first day of the design occasion, with the Design Days programme set to conclude on Tuesday.
Georgia's capital Tbilisi marked the launch of three exhibitions to mark the annual celebrations of Italian design and architecture in the country this week, with scientific, academic and business communities involved alongside dignitaries from the two states.
Two young Georgian innovators were awarded a Stem Study Visit to the Italian-based Company for Innovation, Cooperation and Internationalisation during the Italian Innovation and Research Day in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi on Monday.
Georgia is the first country in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus to have its own edition of Domus, one of the most prestigious magazines dedicated to architecture and design, after the first Georgian-language issue was unveiled by an Italian diplomatic representation and local publishers in Tbilisi on Sunday.
A week-long celebration of the Italian cuisine, with a particular focus on biodiversity and sustainable nutrition, launched on Monday and will run in Georgia simultaneously with worldwide editions of the event.
Two young Georgian inventors were honoured at the annual Italian Innovation and Research Day on Thursday, with an occasion in Tbilisi unveiling prospects for their future opportunities.
Iconic designs by some of the world's most famous fashion houses are going on display in Georgia's capital Tbilisi for a special exhibition illustrating over half a century of Italian fashion.
An architectural project by two Georgian Master’s students that rejuvenates a dilapidated suburb in Tbilisi has been named best of the year by top Italian architects.
A new sculpture by Georgian contemporary artist Vazha Mikaberidze, better known as Prasto, has been unveiled to the public in a central park of the Italian town Pietrasanta.
Georgia is hosting the Italian Cuisine Week with a series of events including a showcase of signature dishes and a talk on the role of gastronomy in sustainable development, the Italian embassy in Georgia announced on Wednesday.
Talks and presentations by celebrated architects, exhibitions and a competition for young designers will mark this year's Italian Design Days in Georgia's capital Tbilisi between Wednesday and Thursday.