Overview of the year

Repower shows Swiss and Italian design

October

The Testa e Croce exhibition opened in Milan on 24 October. It showcases representative objects from Switzerland and Italy, two countries that are geographically close to each other but at the same time differ in economy, history, culture, technology, art and in their relations to design. The exhibition, based on an idea from Repower Italy head Fabio Bocchiola, was curated by the ADI Design Museum and Repower and supported by the Swiss Embassy and the Swiss Chamber of Commerce in Italy

The exhibition brought together ideas, visions, creations and products based on the historical and contemporary design culture of the two countries. From similar roots in terms of approaches, requirements and processes, objects and images have emerged representing the different identities of the cultural, social and technological heritage of Switzerland and Italy: objects, images, advertising campaigns that are expressions of two different DNAs.

Various people who have accompanied Repower on its journey worked for the exhibition, including the curator and artistic director Italo Rota and the architects Riccardo Blumer and Alessandro Pedretti.

Repower has its roots in the Valposchiavo, in a landscape that is appreciated and loved by locals and tourists alike. Repower has always built power plants in this area with care and consideration for the surroundings.

“The work of the architects who created these power plants at the beginning of the 20th century has a lot in common with that of contemporary designers,” says Davide Damiani, Head of PR and Sales Promotion. “The ultimate goal is always to create a connection between the buildings and the community and environment in which they’re located. These mutual relationships and how they’re influenced by our culture and local history are at the heart of this fascinating exhibition, which is closely bound up with Repower’s history.”

Davide Damiani

Head of PR and Sales Promotion, Repower Italy