The Seventies: Franco Sargiani and Eija Helander designed “Programma 8” for Alessi. This systematic and comprehensive project of small modular and stackable household items was based on the very same methodological premise of the “international-style” architecture of the period: the theory of open-system meta-design ideal for the free composition of unlimited living and formal models. Defined by Alessandro Mendini as “the most evolved system of household objects ever created on an international level” (Paesaggio casalingo, 1979), this design concept radically overhauled the implements used for table and kitchen service, oriented towards maximum practicality and flexible use. At the time it was presented, it created an enormous stir in the small world of the Arts de la table, and it has now been taken up again and completed by adding the function of preserving to the original ones of cooking and serving. Again, the stainless-steel tray is the first and most basic unit, and ceramic containers, oil and vinegar cruets, salt and pepper castors, serving utensils and a wooden chopping board are developed around it. Thirty years later, and in the wake of all the work we have conducted in the field of expressive research and of the powerful visual identity of objects, I feel it is interesting to bring back to the design scene this marvelous utopia that normalizes and neutralizes the archetypical forms of household items, as a way of seeking a different kind of balance between Beauty and Function.
