From workshops to ateliers

We are at the end of the 1950s. At the trade fair in Milan, there is a lively-eyed gentleman wandering around, a builder of useless machines and a designer of foam rubber toys. He has published some children's books that he initially thought of for his son and designed objects that earned him two Compasso d'Oro awards. At the Rank Xerox stand, one of the first photocopiers is presented. Bruno, our protagonist, approaches and asks the representative for information about how it works and if he can try it out. Seeing the enthusiasm of the future customer, the representative, intrigued, asks, 'Excuse me, Mr. Munari, what are you interested in? Do you have an office?' 'No,' he replies, 'I am an artist.' The rest of the story is history and culminates in an exhibition in Tokyo in 1965. We tell it in this talk, where, among other things, we will reflect on how 'experiment' shares etymology with 'experience' and why I (or we?) secretly get bored of proposing workshops that seem designed like a trip to Disneyland, complete with gadgets and guaranteed fun by contract. If, as a child, you hated producing the drawing for Mother's Day exactly as the teacher wanted it, you are already part of the resistance. Welcome 🙂