UGO LA PIETRA is one of the most original and definition defying of the Italian maestri. In this conversation La Pietra discusses his hugely diverse output, which spans art, architecture, design, and craft and which includes artefacts, installations, films, publications, education and more. His work is underpinned by an interest in research, and concepts of the “disequilibrating system” and “living is being everywhere at home”. Active since the early 1960s, La Pietra has been a key part of movements and initiatives including Radical Design and the Global Tools group. La Pietra is however also notable as an individual working in overlooked areas, most notably his extensive engagement with Italy’s rich craft tradition.
This interview is conducted by Dr. Catharine Rossi – a UK-based design historian, and Professor of Architecture at the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) Canterbury – in Italian with English subtitles.
Watch the conversation here:
Inaugurated in April 2020 in response to the pandemic lockdown, Design in Dialogue began as a way simply to keep the conversation going, and offer a meeting place for the design community.
Over time, the series has become an opportunity to expand the dialogue in unprecedented ways, exploring the breadth and diversity of design. Guests are able to speak safely and freely, in a conversational format offering audiences access to the full dimension of their practices.
We have recorded dialogues with over a hundred designers, makers, artists, architects, critics, historians, writers and curators, and heard them discuss their work and ideas in-depth, direct and unfiltered. To date, the series has been viewed over 700,000 times through our two channels (YouTube and Vimeo) and our distribution partners Dezeen and Designboom.
The world is shifting gears again now, as online connection gives way once more to in-person events. With this in mind, we have decided to transition from our regular weekly broadcast. Design in Dialogue will still continue in the fall of 2021 and beyond, with occasional new interviews. The archive will remain freely viewable in perpetuity, serving as a vital primary source of this moment.
