Large turnout at the ADI Design Museum for the event with Armando Milani, organised by Cappelli Identity Design
On 23rd January we had the honour of organizing the event Peace&War by Armando Milani: a poster for peace at the ADI Design Museum, a well-attended event that demonstrated how design can be a key to thinking about the great universal themes of peace and identity. The designer Armando Milani, author of the famous poster donated to the United Nations, engaged in dialogue with Luciano Galimberti, president of ADI, Emanuele Cappelli, creator of the Hats Art Gallery project, and anthropologist Dario Basile, professor at the University of Turin and writer.
The Peace&War poster, designed in 2002 by Armando Milani, has been reissued in a limited edition to celebrate its relevance in a historical moment of great international tension.
Luciano Galimberti, President of ADI, introduced the discussion: «It is always a great honor to host Armando Milani, with his experience, his works, his experience. His manifesto, repurposed and updated, is one of the most representative works of Italian design. Design, in fact, is not simply a technical-functional response to a need, but a fundamental factor related to narrative, to the ability to build relationships with the world through values and the courage to take a stand with respect to the world’s great issues».
Armando Milani, star of the evening, stated: «We do not have the power of politicians to change the world, but we do have a duty to take actions that make people think. With Peace&War I wanted to translate into image a universal message that pushes from the eye to the heart and moves toward concrete change. Indeed, the designer’s job is to turn an idea into a social and ethical message, and in this creative context, my client is humanity».
Emanuele Cappelli, founder of Hats Identity Design and creator of the Hats Art Gallery project, pointed out: «With Hats Art Gallery we have chosen to spread the Culture of Design through works by iconic authors, starting with Armando Milani and his Peace&War poster, bearer of profound social messages. In a landscape where design is often dominated by market logic, Milani embodies ethics and enthusiasm, representing a model of identity and diversity. This project reflects the values of Cappelli Identity Design, reaffirming the role of design as a tool to improve people’s lives, with a mission that is ethical before commercial».
Dario Basile, anthropologist, lecturer and writer, concluded: «Armando Milani argues that peace is closely related to love. Love and peace are two words that go perfectly together. Love means respect, empathy, and Nelson Mandela also reminded us of this with the Ubuntu philosophy: starting with others, not with ourselves. At this moment in history we are in great need of peace and love. Love is no longer fashionable, but it is profoundly important if we think of it as social love: that gesture one makes without expectation of getting anything in return. This would be the premise for having a better world. Perhaps it is from these gestures that we should start».
The event was sponsored by Hats Art Gallery, and the limited edition Peace&War poster is available in the ADI Design Museum’s Treccani bookshop and at hatsartgallery.com.
