It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child. — “This sort of contamination between agricultural and industrial models lies at the heart of the Italian concept of factory which is rooted in the local territory, unlike America where the two have remained more clearly separate. The roots of Italian factories reach deep into the soil of a business culture…

A quattro anni dipingevo come Raffaello, poi ho impiegato una vita a imparare a disegnare come un bambino — Questa sorta di contaminazione fra modello agricolo e modello industriale è quello che in Italia ha radicato la fabbrica in un contesto territoriale più di quanto sia capitato in America, dove queste due dimensioni sono rimaste più autonome. È come se le fabbriche italiane si fossero appoggiate sul territorio prendendo…

Studying, designing, dialoguing, writing, reflecting, photographing, drawing — La Rapidissima is a publication created to accompany the repurposing of the ICO Workshops in Ivrea, the redefinition and resumption of activities that started in 2019 with the new owner Icona Srl, after more than twenty years of closure and neglect. When we were presented with this idea, we accepted…

Today marks the dawn of a new day for this imposing glass giant and its still vastness. — The ICO Workshops (the acronym stands for “Ingegner Camillo Olivetti”) in Ivrea are everything and its contrary. This is the place where, for glorious decades in the last century, work found its true mission, the highest and clearest, where products were manufactured with a global horizon in mind. …

In Ivrea, at the Olivetti factory, ‘our’ factory, the values that inspired the Bauhaus have found new life, have been revived in industrial relations and in the spirit of the community. — Germany’s first experiment in democracy The Weimar Republic was Germany’s first experiment in democracy. Usually, this era is regarded as a transitional period between the two World Wars. In fact, the Weimar Republic and its constitution laid the legal foundations for democratic Germany. The Weimar Republic was proclaimed after the…

It’s time to explore new territories in society, economics and culture. — Interpreting change It may happen that, at some point in history, we lose our bearings. This phase of passage can last for years, it can be hard to acknowledge (and only reluctantly, at that) from the inside, and the realization can trigger nostalgic reactions that, while understandable, are ultimately pointless…

Dancing is important — socially, spiritually — it cleanses the soul, and you always feel a little better afterward. — Ivreatronic speaks the language of youth We meet with the Ivreatronic team on a sunny afternoon near the Rowing Club, as the Dora river rumbles softly in the background and the city on the other bank appears relaxed, meditating and lost in thought. Droves of children run around on the…

Un nuovo giorno è cominciato da quando l’enormità silenziosa di questo gigante di vetro ha una nuova proprietà. — Le Officine ICO (Ing. Camillo Olivetti) di Ivrea, tutto e il contrario di tutto. Il posto dove, per gloriosi decenni del secolo scorso, il lavoro si era dato una missione, la più alta e chiara, e dove si fabbricavano prodotti e orizzonti all’attenzione del mondo. …

Studiare, progettare, dialogare, scrivere, riflettere, fotografare, disegnare — La Rapidissima è una pubblicazione che intende accompagnare il progetto di riforma delle officine ICO di Ivrea, la riqualificazione e l’insediamento di attività avviato dalla nuova proprietà Icona Srl nel 2019, dopo oltre vent’anni di chiusura e abbandono. Quando ci è stata proposta questa idea abbiamo accettato con entusiasmo di…