The Ambassador of Italy in Georgia, Mr. Enrico Valvo, on June 21, alongside the Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia, Mr. Irakli Karseladze, inaugurated the event “Advancing on the Italian Design Days in Georgia” – organized in collaboration with the Italian Trade Agency (ITA).
The event brought again to Georgia the excellence of Italian architecture and design for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic, as part of the “Italian Design Days,” a traditional promotional campaign organized by the Italian MFA and Embassies across the world.
A large team of public and private partners from Italy contributed to the event – most of whom have been able to travel to Georgia. A rich “menu” of initiatives has been offered to the Georgian public, revolving around three keywords: “Restoration, Innovation and Sustainability.”
These three key concepts 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.
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
The Italian sculptor Edoardo Malagigi – whose works have been part of the most prestigious international exhibitions in this sector, such as the Venice “Biennale” and the “Abaco Space Contemporary Art” in Berlin – created, especially for this occasion, a 100% eco-sustainable art piece.
The sculpture “Cupola,” exhibited for the first time at the inauguration, has been realized exclusively from waste and recycled materials provided by the Georgian Social Enterprise “Green Gift”. It is a reproduction, on a bigger scale, of an iconic item of Italian design, the legendary coffee maker that Aldo Rossi realized in 1985 for the manufacturer “Alessi.”
The Italian Council of Architects, Planners, Landscapers and Conservatives (CNAPP) kindly made available the tables of the annual “Italian Architect” award, exhibited as well during the event. They also participated in the main session of works held today, which consisted of a Workshop aimed at stimulating interactions between companies, scholars, experts and professional associations, from Italy and Georgia, represented both in-person and remotely.
Prestigious Italian actors in this field such as “Assorestauro”, “Istituto Europeo di Design” (IED) and “Politecnico di Milano” also participated. At the Workshop Italian architectural firms made themselves “Ambassadors” of Italian restoration and design in Georgia, presenting respectively the restoration studio of a historic-cultural building located in Imereti and a presentation about the potentialities of Italian design and urban planning with a view to enhancing touristic development in Georgia, taking as an example the thermal city of Tskaltubo.
From the Georgian side, many public and private actors – in addition to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development, joined the event, including the Municipal Development Fund (MDF), the Association of Architects and the Union of Architects, the State Academy of Fine Arts, the Young Ambassador of Georgia to Italy, Ms. Mariam Botchorishvili.
A short award ceremony was held within the photo contest “L’italianita’ in Georgia” (“Italianness in Georgia”), launched by the Embassy in coordination with Milan’s “Instituto Europeo di Design” – IED, aimed at rewarding the ability to represent (through a photograph) the artistic and cultural ties between Italy and Georgia.
Ms. Nino Zakaraia was awarded the first prize and Mr. Nicolo Vincenzo Malvestuto received the “Jury Prize.” The first prize consists of a scholarship, fully covered by the prestigious “Istituto Europeo di Design” (IED) of Milan, for a Summer course to be delivered in English in 2022 in one of IED’s Italian offices, while the winner of the “Jury Prize ” received a 100% made in Italy kit of photography comprising a bag, camera case and tripod.
As noted by the Ambassador of Italy, Mr. Enrico Valvo, the Embassy intends to keep moving forward on this path, through initiatives developed on several levels – artistic, economic, cultural – but all with an ultimate objective: making increasingly available the beauty of Italian Design to the Georgian public and fostering co-operation between Italy and Georgia in this field spanning 360 degrees.
