The research team led by Anniina Koivu (Head of Master Theory, ECAL) and Rosanna Pavoni (scientific director of Fondazione Studio Museo Vico Magistretti), explored the important yet under-researched topic of why and how products cease to be available on the market by examining the vast body of work left behind by Italian architect and product designer Vico Magistretti (1920–2006). One of the seminal figures in postwar Italian design, he based his work on a close collaboration with manufacturers, creating 334 products and furniture objects. Yet only 65 of these design classics are still in production as of January 2020.
Researchers drew on the extensive archives of the Fondazione Vico Magistretti, analysed specialist journals and conducted interviews with manufacturers and many of the original decision-makers investigating the manifold factors underpinning the decision to cease production of twelve Magistretti’s iconic creations, here employed as case studies. They are also the focus of a portfolio of new images created by ECAL alumni from the Photography courses.
The outputs of the research project are disseminated through the book Vico Magistretti: Stories of Objects, published by Triest verlag with graphic design by NORM, available in Italian an English editions.
