Art and Design in the creative talent of Pietro Travaglini

#1 answers

Good morning Pietro, what was your experience at the Salone del Mobile and what do you think of this event, so important for design?

"Today the proposals are very similar to previous years, with few differences that are more articulated in procedural technology than in the search for aesthetics and functionality. What I have perceived in this edition, but which is now a widespread sentiment, is the change of pace that some realities like the Chinese one have had compared to ours. Asians are increasingly asserting themselves as interesting and experimenters of new aesthetic and functional approaches, transforming themselves from "copycats" to authors, full of new proposals that embrace craftsmanship, new technologies, and capable of aesthetic forms that cannot fail to capture the visitor's attention. Our young and not so young designers are visibly trapped in the sustainable mainstream at all costs, to the point of proposing ampoules with scraped wall sediments, or ideas of pathetic and non-marketable recycling systems for recycling's sake that self-celebrate disconnected from the market reality and ecology itself. In short, while the world experiments in all directions, we play with the "rusco". A bit disheartening and above all, very boring."

Creative Expression

In his atelier in Bologna, sensitivity and tooling are the tools that bring his creations to life, in perfect balance between limited edition projects destined for galleries and products designed for serial production. Through his work, Pietro Travaglini seeks to explore and communicate complex concepts and emotions. His works play between aesthetics and functionality, inviting viewers to reflect and immerse themselves in his artistic world.

Research and Experimentation

At the core of Travaglini's practice is a constant desire for research, through the exploration of new materials, processes, and concepts, constantly challenging himself and creating works that transcend traditional conventions. The concept he is currently working on is that of play. Domestic spaces as places where furniture can be used without limits, objects that interact with a light magnetic field with the possibility of placing them anywhere, even on walls. Micro-beaded steel, glass, MDF, LEDs, marble are the designer's materials of choice, shaping cold matter into poetry, transforming its hardness into harmonious and anthropomorphic silhouettes, granting archetypal forms of domestic design the status of art.

Pietro Travaglini's Journey

Pietro Travaglini was born in Bologna. During his studies at the Faculty of Architecture in Florence, he became passionate about design, which for him became the ability to tell stories and express himself on the border between art and design. Versatile and interdisciplinary, since 2012 he has been included in the top ten most appreciated Italian designers in the world by the international journalistic observatory Nathan, following names such as Matteo Thun, Gaetano Pesce, Paola Navone, Antonio Citterio, Alessandro Mendini, and Michele De Lucchi.

Art as a Source of Inspiration

Travaglini's works are imbued with artistic influences ranging from historical movements such as Futurism and Bauhaus to the most avant-garde contemporary art. This fusion of styles and concepts is evident in creations that are both bold and sophisticated. Works that can be defined as timeless and that transcend commercial logic and trends.

#2 answers

What is the inspiration behind the projects you are currently working on?

"The inspiration driving my projects has always been humanity in all its forms and variations. Human physicality is the starting point for every new project of mine, from bones (structure), tendons (mechanical joints), muscles (tension between materials), skin (aesthetic covering of my products), and so on. Similarly, thoughts (physical abstractions) can also be seen in my objects, and I consider it an important complement that, when expressed well, gives soul to the project. For the past couple of years, I have been developing a system that utilizes thermal expansions as a driving force to operate mechanical systems. Remember the old thermometers we used to check for fever? The distance traveled by the mercury column as it expanded to indicate the temperature in a glass container generates linear motion. What if we were to increase the scale of the container? We could have a piston controlled by external or internal temperature. This creates a system that could be applied in various technologies and could become a kind of natural home automation for ventilated walls in architecture or simply change the aesthetics of the same object. This tension of mine, which I have synthesized in an example but there could be others, is the reason that excites me to do this job and keeps me alive in seeking new solutions and enjoying combining them with form and aesthetics, principles that should be at the core of the thinking of all those who declare themselves designers."

#3 answers

Aesthetics and functionality: is there a balance between these elements in your objects?

"More than balance, I could say symbiosis. Functionality is the keyword that distinguishes design from art, and multifunctionality is my stylistic signature because if I can interpret what I buy, I feel it more mine. Aesthetics is the pleasure in looking at what I have chosen, and if I like it, then it makes me feel good, which is a very intimate and personal value. Even the small imperfections that may occur in an object mostly handmade give uniqueness and attention to detail, helping me once again to feel like the protagonist of an object that I perceive as tailored to me."

#4 answers

Define the purpose of your creative research in 3 words.

"Uniqueness, well-being, innovation."