Biography
editBorn in Cernobbio (CO) on the 21st of May 1953, Giuseppe Furlanis graduated in Architecture at the Politecnico di Milano. He's the president of the National Council for Higher Artistic Education (Consiglio Nazionale dell'alta Formazione Artistica) - at the Ministry of University and Research in Italy - Ministero dell'Università e della Ricerca. Since 1995 collaborates with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Ministero degli Affari Esteri) in cooperation and development projects. From 1990 to 2007 was the Director of the renown design school ISIA in Florence where he was also a Professor of Basic Design. From 2013 he covers again the position of Director.
Professional Activity
editThe challenge is living better lives producing and consuming less; en economy growth is possible even though there is a contraction in goods' production and quantities. A challenge which must be welcomed to stop the escalating arrogance with which nature is offended by all of us.
— G.F. from -For a Fair and Sustainable Design - Less is Next
Deeply aware that the environmental issue demands a growing attention for new policies about economic development, in the second half of the 70's Furlanis progressively leaves the industrial design in favor of a consultancy activity for the industry, research centers and local governments. His goal is to make new product design and process innovation design compatible with the environment and the lack of natural resources. In 1985 Furlanis starts his activity as an expert of industrial design for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Ministero degli Affari Esteri) working mainly in Cooperation and Development projects. To be noted his intense support to traditional craftmanship, with large interest for the precious role in promoting local cultural identities. In this field Furlanis collaborates for many years with the Region of Tuscany (Regione Toscana), Artex, the Experimental Center of Furniture Design in Poggibonsi. Particularly interested in International Cooperation, he has coordinated, as a scientific advisor, multiple European Union Projects oriented to develop fair economic contexts among the Mediterranean countries.
Didactic Activity
editThe social objective of the arts and its education has to consider an ideal perspective on ethical sense for both already-made choices and future ones.
— G.F. from For an epistemology of experience and aesthetics - National Art Prize Catalogue 2011
Giuseppe Furlanis believes that education is the most important resource a country has for a respectful development in terms of social needs and protection of the environment. To his consultancy activity he becomes an advocate active as a professor and lecturer in many schools and universities around the world. From 1985 to 1990, thanks to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he is called to cover the position of Scientific Coordinator for the Art and Design Center in Malta and the Industrial Design Center in Montevideo. From 1990 to 2007, he is the Director of one of the most important design institutions in Italy called ISIA. In the same years he is also the President of the National Institute for Higher Art Education. He collaborated with the Italian Ministry of Education (Ministero dell'Istruzione), IRSAE, IRRE, and many other minor institutions. In the design field he coordinated coaching programs for scholars in many countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Malta, Mexico, Paraguay, Uruguay, Japan.
Exhibits
editHe curated several exhibits in Italy and in other countries in the fields of Art, design, and architecture. Few of them are:
ARCHIVES OF RATIONALISM, Como, November 1983 - KNOW THE DESIGN, Cantu in September 1984, organized in the following exhibitions: PROJECTS OF ITALIAN DESIGN, November 1984; NEW TRENDS IN DESIGN, January 1985; Achille Castiglioni, in February 1985; ENZO MARI, March 1985; Kartell, April 1985; ZANOTTA, May 1985; ALESSI, June 1985 - DISENO: ESTRATEGIAS DE UN ACUERDO, para una historia del diseno italiano, Montevideo, 1992 -ITINERAIRES DU DESIGN ITALIEN, Parigi 1993 - SHOWCASE OF BABEL, Florence 1996 - DESIGN: CULTURE AND INNOVATION, archive 900, Rovereto 1995 - GENIUS LOCI: TRENDS fOR 2000, Abitare il Tempo, Verona 1996 - PROJECTS FOR TWO THOUSAND, Florence 1997 - BIENNIAL ART Medici Park of Pratolino, March 2002 - X-Media, Florence 2002-2003 - CreActivity, Museum Piaggio, 2006 - SPEED Belo Horizonte, Brazil, 2006 - ENGLISH NEW WAVE, "knowledge, consciousness, with science" Abitare il Tempo, Verona 2007 & nbsp; - IDEA / CreActivity award International design MUR / AFAM, Museo Piaggio Pontedera, 2007, 2008 , 2009 - THE MYTH OF SPEED 'section design, Exhibition Palace, Rome 2008 - HALL ACADEMIES, Italian Pavilion, Venice Biennale, 2011.
Pubblications
editHe is director of the series "Design, culture and design," Gangemi publisher, and "Teaching and design", Alinea publisher. He is the author of essays and articles on training, industrial design, art. "Design of balance and tolerance" in Profession designer, ed.Gangemi 1994; "The furniture and its philosophies" in The Italian model, ed.SKIRA 1998; "The lightness of the invention" in Ecologically, Edicom-editions in 1999; "Educating the balance" in Ecologically, Edicom-editions in 1999; "The archipelago of knowledge: art and technique", ed.Le Monnier 2001; "The ISIA of Florence" in diid-Industrial Design, ed.Gangemi 2002; "Habitat Méditerranée", ed.IRPET 2004; "Supermodernity: that the ubiquity of technology" in Digital Medina, ed.Gangemi 2005; "Design quality and value: ten years of design in the service of society", ed.Gangemi 2005; "The myth of speed, art, engines and society", ed.Giunti 2008; "The body technology" in HiArt, ed.Gangemi 2008; "The utopia necessary" in HiArt 2009; "Genius loci: the Heritage of places", in HiArt 2009; "The place of sensible things" HiArt 2010; "The economic miracle. A look on Italy of the fifties," HiArt 2010; "Less is Next. To design a fair and sustainable", ed. The Navy in 2009; "Education, Industry, contexts," in diid industrial design No. 50 / 51-2011; "The design of utopia or temperate" in ten years of meetings with the design, and. Franco Angeli 2011; "For an epistemology of the artistic experience," in META words & images, Neos Editions 2012.
