From 24 March to 4 June 2023, on the occasion of Bergamo Brescia Italian Capital of Culture, Alias will be the protagonist of "Thinking factories.Tales of Compasso d'Oro from Bergamo to Brescia." exhibition.

Bergamo and Brescia, bordering provinces that share the characteristics and strengths of their creative and productive network, play an innovative role in the Italian industrial design scene thanks to companies and products that have shaped the history of industry and everyday life.  
Discovering the history of Bergamo and Brescia through design allows you to fully understand its industrial and design capital. The best and most objective way to do this is by reviewing the outstanding products from Bergamo and Brescia that have won the Compasso d’Oro, the oldest and most authoritative design award in the world, conceived by Gio Ponti in 1954 with the aim of highlighting the value and quality of Italian design products, which were in their infancy at the time. Since the first edition to date, no less than 32 products made by companies in the provinces of Bergamo and Brescia have been awarded the Compasso d’Oro, demonstrating the innovative nature of the diverse manufacturing production in the two cities. To tell this story of innovation, "The Thinking Factories. Compasso d’Oro Stories from Bergamo to Brescia" project was set up in the year of Bergamo and Brescia Capital of Culture 2023, which will include an exhibition with all the Compasso d’Oro awards, in a special display in the Sala delle Capriate in the heart of Bergamo’s Upper City, a series of talks, a printed editorial publication and an episodic podcast.  The project is the brainchild of DimoreDesign, developed by the marketing association +39 and MULTI, with the curatorship of Davide Pagliarini and the patronage of ADI (Industrial Design Association). With the valuable support and contribution of the Municipality of Bergamo, CCIAA Bergamo and Confindustria Bergamo. 

THE EXHIBITION
A design ‘house’ – painted ruby red with text and icons in white and gold to recall the colours of the Compasso d’Oro – will be set up in the Sala delle Capriate in Palazzo della Ragione, in the heart of the Upper City, from 24 March to 4 June 2023. The 32+1 Compasso winners featured in the exhibition will be distributed along a freely-developed route inside and outside this large patio ‘domus’, with sides that alternately open and close to offer curious viewpoints and unprecedented perspectives of their various aspects: from the concept to the choice of production materials, from the design to the product, both ‘disassembled’ and in its final version. The exhibition, designed and curated by Davide Pagliarini, includes interactive routes to intrigue visitors and showcase each product. Among the projects on display we find the Laleggera chair by Riccardo Blumer and the Teak folding table by Alberto Meda for Alias, which were awarded the prestigious prize in 1998 and 2011 respectively.

“We are very proud to be part of the ‘Le fabbriche pensanti. Storie di Compassi d’Oro da Bergamo a Brescia’ exhibition and to be in the spotlight in our city, together with other outstanding companies in the area. Through this wonderful initiative the cities of Bergamo and Brescia have the opportunity to demonstrate the contribution that the Compasso d’Oro Award has made in identifying some of the most interesting projects and designers from the 1950s to today.  Visitors to the exhibition are immediately struck by the quality of Italian design, the result of the collaboration of visionary entrepreneurs and ingenious designers. Alias has also contributed to this wonderful story with two extraordinary projects: Laleggera by Riccardo Blumer and the Teak table by Alberto Meda, two products that demonstrate that the project’s quality goes beyond its design and shape, involving materials, production technologies and technical solutions in a profound and complex way.” Alias