Pordenone Design Week 2021 with Santalucia Mobili
Santalucia Mobili took part in the 10th edition of Pordenone Design Week which ran 8-12 March 2021. For the second year in a row, this key event bringing together the education sector and local industry was held online in an entirely digital format, in response to the current situation.
Read on to find out what happened during this week dedicated to design and creativity, directly from the students, tutors and professors at theISIA Design University. They worked on developing our suggested theme of fluid spaces and furniture, translating the concept into multifunctional, eco-sustainable accessory designs.
Pordenone Design Week, as told by the students
At the end of the last day, after the various groups of students from different year groups had presented their Santalucia Mobili designs, we had the chance to spend some time talking to them and asked how they’d found the experience of working with us.
Pordenone Design Week provides a comprehensive training opportunity for you as students, allowing you to experience the world of work. What was it like meeting Santalucia Mobili?
Daniele G. “It was a great experience for me, especially because I’ve not had the chance to work inthe furniture sector during my studies, so it was also a new challenge.”
Anna C. “I also found it enjoyable and fun, plus it’s my first time taking part in Design Week.”
Pordenone Design Week is all about teamwork. How important is teamwork in putting together a design project? What was it like working remotely?
Sara G. “During Design Week, teamwork is vital, especially because you have to complete a project in a short space of time. With the groups being mixed, including students from first year to third year, we all complement one another and help out. You really do need everybody to contribute to complete the project.”
Camilla C. “As far as working remotely goes, I think it’s harder – it’s not the same as doing it in person. I’m in second year so unfortunately I’ve never attended the event in person, but I imagine it’s more stimulating to interact with people directly. I still enjoyed the remote working experience, but it definitely has its challenges.”
Pordenone Design Week, as told by the tutors and professors
We wanted to get the perspective of the professors and tutors on this new digital approach to the event and we also quizzed them about the future of design.
This year Pordenone Design Week returned in a digital format once again, in line with the current situation which has forced us to review how events are organised. How have things changed with this new approach?
Patrizia Bertolini (Professor) “Obviously there are some difficulties and, as far as we are concerned, the main problem is coordinating the whole thing: bringing people together who are physically far away means communicating in a given way, and so communication and organisation both need to change. The most difficult aspect is not being able to see the students at work, not being in direct contact with the group, and only seeing the drawings and sketches on screen. The perception you have is quite sterile and it’s completely different to working together in person. It’s tough but somehow it works and the students are still really involved.”
Elena Rausse (Tutor) “Pordenone Design Week was set up both to create an experience that would bring together companies and students in the local area working on design themes, and to serve as a social occasion, with events and conferences involving the whole city. In previous years, the students visited the companies, manufacturers and creative spaces on site, so they’re missing that more “social” aspect, and the relationships and friendships that are formed among young people of different nationalities. Unfortunately, they’re also not able to experience local industry first hand.
Riccardo Forner (Tutor) “Last year Pordenone Design Week was run online for obvious reasons and, this year again, despite everything, we found ourselves in the same situation. But if young people are taking part and companies still want to be involved, it means that the event works like this.”
Design: looking to the future
What role will design play in the future and what will the world look like post-pandemic?
Christian S. – student “Design could be the cure for the way we misuse and exploit what we have, and it’s something we can really take advantage of indefinitely. So I think, in the future, design will be responsible for looking after the earth. There are a lot of us; it can be done.”
Patrizia Bertolini “Design plays an important role because it provides a unique take on modernity and society. If seen through the right lens, design can pick up on what the current situation and climate is like, and what the problems are. What’s more, if your heart’s in it too, heart and head together can come up with ways to make the world a better place, to create wellbeing and beauty. Then comes the technical aspect you need to add to this more humanistic element. Design is the ability to create this world using your eyes, heart, head and hands. It’s far-sighted and fast-acting: we can’t not engage with design, we need to always be engaging with design.”