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.
In the latest edition of the customary annual celebration of Italian design, architecture and restoration, organisers will bring architect Michele De Lucchi, the author of the building of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Bridge of Peace in the city, to explore the idea of "architecture spanning 360 degrees" in a talk.
Hosted at the Tbilisi State Academy of Art, the lecture will use his experiences with projects in the Georgian capital to take his listeners to a "journey through past, present and future of the city", the preview for the event said.
De Lucchi's talk will be a part of the theme of this year's programme, which has been entitled "Enlightening Quality: The Energy of Design for People and Environment".
It will involve three displays, set to be unveiled by Italian Ambassador Enrico Valvo, Georgia's Regional Development and Infrastructure Minister Irakli Karseladze and Karaman Kutateladze, the Rector of the Tbilisi-based Academy.
De Lucchi will explore his experiences with designing architectural landmarks in Tbilisi, such as the Bridge of Peace, in his talk. Photo: George Mel/CC BY-SA 2.0
Organised through contributions by the Italian National Council of Architects, Planners, Conservative Landscapers, the editorial team of the Domus Georgia magazine and Milan’s European Institute of Design, the exhibitions will showcase the "Enlightening Quality" concept, while the latter institution will also join forces with the Embassy to host a contest for young Georgian designers.
Under the title "When Italian Design Meets Georgian Creativity: Quality Matters!”, it will offer its winner a scholarship for the course at the Aldo Galli Academy of Fine Arts in the northern Italian city of Como.
Organisers will also hand a prize granting free access to the European Institute of Design's online platform Smart Creativity, while participants will receive "special gadgets" showcasing the Made in Italy programme.
The Embassy also said a seminar on Thursday on "important projects to enhance the Georgian tourist and infrastructural potential" would be hosted at the Academy, with Deputy Ambassador Nicola Iorio moderating the talks between industry professionals and academia on topics such as restoration, light and its applications in architecture.
The discussions will include ideas for rehabilitating Georgia's celebrated but neglected western Soviet-era resort of Tskaltubo, with architect Paola Fornasa presenting the subject, as well as architect Zaza Iashvili's talk on "“Museum Lighting, Environment, Object, Emotion", architect and lighting designer Andrea Carson's online presentation on luminum lighting, and more.