PICCOLO PRONTUARIO VISIVO

IN ORDINE SPARSO DI PROFILI METALLICI

Piccolo prontuario visivo in ordine sparso di profili metallici: Martinelli Venezia's first book is an illustrated journey through the beauty and functionality of metal profiles, showcasing all the expressive power of technical aesthetics.

A 1:1 scale compendium of metal profiles, printed in greyscale, with geometric shapes that come to life and transform into narrative forms, engaging the reader and viewer: it will be easy to see when leafing through the 208 pages of Piccolo prontuario visivo in ordine sparso di profili metallici it is easy to see human faces, animal bodies and complex objects that are part of our emotional baggage.

The authors Martinelli Venezia explain their intentions in a brief introduction, where they define the handbook as ‘A book/object […] a tangible statement of our approach to design. A formal handbook. A non-handbook.’

It is no coincidence that the project was conceived in Milan during the Covid pandemic, but then developed in Palermo, where Carolina Martinelli and Vittorio Venezia are working on redevelopment projects focused on the craftsmanship and technical expertise of the Calderai* – metalworkers – who live in the street of the same name. For Martinelli Venezia, designing a book represents an ‘alternative’ space for experimentation, a way of embracing a more emotional and immediate language, as suggested by the ‘scattered order’ of the title: pipes, profiles, beams, bars, nails, ‘omega’, ‘C’, ‘ipe’, ‘int’ and ‘hea’ follow one after the other, intersecting their formal characteristics.

The project

The Handbook is the result of close collaboration between the authors and the publisher, which allowed for attention to detail and direct oversight of the production process, with the craftsmanship that characterises a project now printed in a first edition of one thousand copies, the result of months of development, modifications and improvements.

As explained by the editorial director of Forward Edizioni, Diego Emanuele, ‘Martinelli Venezia’s visual work triggers a reaction in which technical representation evokes emotions comparable to those aroused by the drawings of Superstudio or Fronzoni, and in which cavalier axonometry represents not only a tool but a true language, a bridge between the visual arts and engineering. With Martinelli Venezia’s work, we have therefore chosen to publish a piece with a strong artistic as well as design focus, represented by the aesthetics of technology.’

The volume is enriched by an introduction by Marco Sammicheli, director of the Triennale Milano Museum of Italian Design, citing Enzo Mari, the tubes of the Innocenti system, and the technical catalogues rich in tables and indexes typical of the 1950s and 1960s, goes into detail not only about the study of metal profiles
‘The study of metal profiles is a subject familiar to architects and engineers, who deal with it on a daily basis as a kind of rationalist ideology. It is sensitive to the most organic humanism, to the point of becoming an aspiration to the zero degree of a language that tends to emancipate itself from rules, styles and precepts.’ but effectively identifies the audience that Martinelli Venezia naturally targets with this project. ‘If manuals are considered tools for the civil progress of the profession, this handbook is an illustrated, almost mannerist tribute to the craft of design.’

The book was produced thanks to contributions from Officine Calderai, A micro museum of metalworking founded by the Martinelli Venezia studio in the street of the same name in the historic centre of Palermo, Via Calderai, which is preparing to open its doors to the public (after previews for Manifesta in 2018 and iDesign in 2021) and FBS Profilati Italiani, a company based in Settimo Milanese that combines tradition and modern production techniques in the design of high-quality decorative profiles and aluminium shutters, whose art direction has been entrusted to designer Giò Tirotto since 2019.

AUTHORS

Martinelli Venezia

A design studio based in Milan and Palermo, founded in 2015 from the collaboration between two architects,
Carolina Martinelli and Vittorio Venezia. The studio deals with artistic direction, product design, exhibition design, architecture and interiors, exploring issues such as the relationship between tradition and local knowledge, the properties of materials and the technical possibilities of manufacturing processes. Their projects have been exhibited in galleries and museums such as the Louvre in Paris, the MAXXI in Rome, the Museo del Design Italiano at the Triennale Milano, the Galleria Rossana Orlandi, Artopiagallery and the Aram Gallery in London. They collaborate with numerous Italian and international companies.

A small visual handbook in no particular order of metal profiles will be available in selected bookshops and on major online search engines starting 16 April 2024.

Presentation of the book PICCOLO PRONTUARIO VISIVO by Martinelli Venezia, with Marco Sammicheli, Gio Tirotto. Moderated by Cinzia Ferrara, introduced by the publisher Diego Emanuele

Via Emerico Amari 147 – palermo

JUNE 25, 2024

- 19:00

Triennale – Teatro Agorà \ Milan

Presentation of the book PICCOLO PRONTUARIO VISIVO by Martinelli Venezia, with Sammicheli as moderator, Gio Tirotto, Anniina Koivu, Cinzia Ferrara and the publisher Diego Emanuele

VIALE ALEMAGNA 6 – MILAN

Printed and published in April 2024.