At Cersaie 2024, industrial designer Giulio Iacchetti will give the now traditional Lesson in Reverse for secondary school students on Friday 27 September at 11.00 a.m. in the Europauditorium of the Palazzo dei Congressi at BolognaFiere. The lesson, introduced by Professor Fulvio Irace, will see the direct involvement of a group of students who will take the stage and converse with the teacher. Previous years’ Lessons in Reverse have been given by renowned designers, artists, filmmakers, photographers and scientists, including Enzo Mari, Elio Caccavale, Alessandro Mendini, Riccardo Dalisi, Riccardo Blumer, Massimo Giacon, Ugo La Pietra, Fabio Novembre, Silvia Camporesi, Francesca Molteni and Stefano Mancuso.
Well known for his sense of irony and philosophy of disobedience, Iacchetti draws inspiration from notable figures such as Aldo Rossi and the great Enzo Mari, who gave the first Lesson in Reverse at Cersaie 2010. Influenced by Mari’s concept of democratic design, Iacchetti embraces the idea that design should be accessible to everyone. This approach earned Iacchetti recognition in 2009 when he received an award from the President of the Italian Republic for the Eureka Coop project carried out in collaboration with major retailers. This project was based on the conviction that aesthetics and beauty can coexist with functionality and intelligence but without leading to exorbitant prices. The sense of irony that runs through Iacchetti’s projects together with his desire to escape from mainstream trends gave him the idea for an exhibition entitled “Disobedient Objects”. In a statement published in Domus magazine, Giulio Iacchetti says: “What can objects disobey? Perhaps the market philosophy that requires products to be obedient to style and fashion. They can disobey the rule of being unobtrusive, of not questioning or provoking doubt, and of not challenging established truths. They can disobey the notion that design is exclusive to the cultural and economic elite, and the idea that the sole purpose of design is to create aesthetically pleasing forms. I believe that the idea underpinning a project, especially when infused with a healthy dose of irony, holds far greater value.”
Giulio Iacchetti has been an industrial designer since 1992. Winner of two Compasso d’Oro awards, in 2009 he was presented with the “Premio dei Premi” national award for innovation by the President of the Italian Republic for the Eureka Coop project. Also in 2009, the Milan Triennale held a solo exhibition of his work entitled “Giulio Iacchetti. Disobedient Objects”. Always attentive to the relationship between craftsmanship and design, in 2012 he set up Internoitaliano. He works as an exhibition designer and curator and art director for several design brands. In 2023, he founded the brand ‘Il Tornitore Matto’ with Alberto Alessi.
