GIO PONTI carpet collection

c a r p e t s
GIO PONTI carpet collection
c a r p e t s
GIO PONTI carpet collection
company,
Amini is an exciting new business in the carpet making industry that was born
from the vision of the Amini Brothers Company, the long-standing company
set up in 1962 by Sultan Amini, and renowned international market leader.
At the heart of the project is the desire to offer a highly elaborate selection
of carpets, in tune with a contemporary dimension of interior design.
This collection boasts a strong stylistic identity, even though it is declined
in a complex and heterogenous aesthetic assortment: from the most
essential proposals, based on the expressive qualities of the materials used,
to the more decorative proposals that reinterpret traditional designs in a
contemporary feel, to the reissues of Gio Ponti’s artistic genius, over which
Amini holds exclusive rights.
Amini is based in Italy, but an international vision and manufacturing facilities
established in geographical areas where carpet-making is traditionally a
typical expression of local culture.
Amini is a unique company driven by a deep-rooted passion, and whose
philosophy is inspired by the pursuit of quality at all levels.
gio ponti
Biography
Designer, architect, magazine editor, academic, painter, writer and also poet.
It’s impossible to condense Ponti’s accomplishment in a single word. Out
of all his work of design he became known as the Father of Italy’s post-war
design renaissance. His main idea was to propagate for design excellence,
and he encouraged everyone to use good design in order to be able to enjoy
the vivid, sensual and good life. His design was characterized by harmony
between form, color and function, which is in fact the main idea of the
modernist movement. His extraordinary prolific work is recognized all over the
world as symbol of the democratic, modern and sophisticated Italian design.
Carpet collection
The Gio Ponti Carpet Collection wants to be tribute to the passion for design
and quality of the great and undiscussed Master. Identified by a distinct
personality the collections represents a true manifest of the Italian excellence
and it’s intended to enrich the home and collections of admirer of Gio Ponti
and Italian design.
The collaboration between Gio Ponti Archives and Amini has one clear idea:
research the remarkable amounts of studies and works of the renowned
designer and recreate a signature collection that can complete decorations
made with vintage and contemporary Gio Ponti masterpieces. The result is
the creation of magnificent carpets, hand made by skilled weavers using only
raw materials of excellent quality such as Tibetan wool and silk. Inspired by
the works and style of Gio Ponti the design of these rugs were curated by
the experienced rug and textile designer Elena Maria Casiello.
Il tappeto volante di Gio Ponti,
Salvatore Licitra, Gio Ponti Archives
Milano 08.01.2015
Si sa che i tappeti volanti percorrono agevolmente il tempo e lo spazio, e
noi, figli e nipoti di Gio Ponti abbiamo voluto, con questo fiabesco mezzo,
raccontare e riportare all’oggi tracce e memorie del caleidoscopio universo
bidimensionale di Gio Ponti.
Il tappeto ci è parso davvero adatto a raccontare di Gio Ponti, di un sentire
che ha animato tutto il suo lavoro e che faceva perno sull’abitare, sulla casa
e sullo sguardo dell’uomo, abitante, passante, ospite o bambino che fosse.
Certamente non tutto può viaggiare su un tappeto volante, soprattutto però
ci è parso un lavoro infinito, considerando sessant’anni di lavoro appassionato
di un maestro del colore, della composizione e della leggerezza come
era Ponti! Si trattava dunque di riportare da questo viaggio solo alcuni
souvenir, frammenti che però alludessero a questo ampio mondo creativo,
possibilmente conservandone la “levità” e il “gioco”, padrini della prolificità
caleidoscopica del suo lavoro.
Di diritto entravano nella selezione i disegni geometrici per le stoffe
stampate prodotte dalla Jsa di Busto Arsizio dei primi anni 50 ( sole-luna,
esagoni, incroci ), geometrie che nella loro limpida semplicità chiamavano
alla ribalta della percezione non solo le parti disegnate, i “pieni” ma anche
i “vuoti”, i ritmi e i formati, promuovendoli a protagonisti della percezione.
Non potevamo tralasciare “Diamantina”, decorazione che animava le stoffe
della omonima villa a Caracas, e che richiamava le piastrelle in ceramica
diamantate e di svariatissimi colori progettate da Ponti per ceramica Joo,
o i progetti per porte dipinte sempre di quegli anni.
“Riflessi” è un omaggio all’unico vero tappeto immaginato da Ponti e
prende il nome dal gioco delle campiture che si specchiano irregolarmente
sulla superficie. Si trattava di un tappeto più sperimentale che altro,
realizzato da Colombi nel 53, in pelle di cavallino bianca nera e marrone.
Ne sono esistiti alcuni campioni e un paio di varianti, proposti da Ponti nel
catalogo “Italian” per Altamira nel 53, e ben figurava nel soggiorno di casa
Ponti in via Dezza a Milano.
Volevamo poi ricordare con “Sorrento” il lavoro di Ponti con la ceramica
di Vietri per i pavimenti dell’Hotel Parco dei Principi. Certamente non
è possibile riprodurre tutte le 24 varianti dei disegni e le loro infinite
combinazioni, ed allora abbiamo scelto il modello più curioso, quello
dove più che in altri viene in superficie la giocosa freschezza ed ironia del
disegno, libera da memorie e riferimenti alla decorazione ceramica classica.
Con “Taranto” abbiamo alluso alla vela bianca traforata che orna il corpo
della cattedrale progettata a Taranto da Ponti nel ‘70. Una vela che ha preso
il posto della tradizionale cupola, l’auspicio di un viaggio dalla terra al cielo
anziché la simbolica severa trasposizione architettonica di una lontana
volta celeste. La forma dell’esagono poi è davvero uno stilema pontiano,
e compare nelle sagome delle finestre delle chiese di San Carlo e San
Francesco a Milano, nella pianta della torre Pirelli, nella sezione della torre
littoria, in oggetti d’arredo, nelle qui richiamate stoffe.
Infine con “Lettera disegnata”, abbiamo scelto una delle tantissimi disegni
con scritte che il nostro eroe componeva ed inviava ad amici, parenti,
committenti, conoscenti, colleghi, fornitori, collaboratori, intellettuali, artisti
e così via. Si trattava per Ponti di significare un dono, una attenzione alla
persona che andasse oltre al contenuto della comunicazione, e nel contempo
un gioco, un divertimento, un incantevole esercizio creativo privato.
Ora, guardando la selezione fatta, naturalmente pensiamo di doverla
completare, con i disegni per stoffe ricamate degli anni ‘30, o richiamando
lo stupefacente lavoro di Ponti per la ceramica di Doccia, o le stoffe
stampate degli anni ‘60 e ‘70, o i decori colorati per i soffitti della villa
Planchart a Caracas, e non comprendiamo più bene se si tratta della
prolificità di Ponti o del nostro piacere di giocare con le vibranti e morbide
superfici dei tappeti!
Gio Ponti’S MAGIC carpet,
Salvatore Licitra, Gio Ponti Archives
Milan 08.01.2015
It is a known fact that flying carpets can easily travel through space and
time, and we, as Gio Ponti’s children and grandchildren, would like to use
this fabulous means of transport to recount and relive today the traces and
memories of Gio Ponti’s two dimensional kaleidoscopic world.
We felt the magic carpet was a really suitable mental representation to tell
the story of Gio Ponti, and of his aesthetic feeling that permeated all his
work and that focused on home living, from the outer dwelling to the human
outlook - whether resident, passer-by, guest or child. For sure some things
cannot travel through space and time as if on a flying carpet, nonetheless to
us it seemed like a mammoth task, if we consider sixty years of passionate
work by a master of color, composition and sheer lightness of touch as
Mr.Ponti was! The idea was to bring back from this magical trip just a few
souvenirs. While little more than fragments these would show more than a
glimpse of this vast world of creativity, possibly preserving both “lightness”
and “play” - the two magical ingredients behind of the kaleidoscopic
abundance of his work.
A sure contender for a rightful place in the selection are the geometric
designs (sun-moon, hexagons, interweaves) for printed fabrics made in
the early 50s by Jsa in Busto Arsizio. With their crystal-clear simplicity they
conjured up the perception of not only the drawn parts (or “filled” by the
design) but also the “empty” parts, the rhythms and formats, promoting
all these elements to the key players in the game of artistic perception.
We could not leave out “Diamantina” a decoration that enlivened the fabrics of
the eponymous villa in Caracas, Venezuela, and that recalls the diamond-shaped
ceramic tiles in a wide range of colours designed by Ponti for the ceramic
manufacturer Joo, or his projects for painted doors also from those years.
“Riflessi” is a tribute to the only real carpet conceived by Ponti and takes
its name from the visual play of backgrounds that are reflected irregularly
on the surface. As carpets go, it was more of an experiment than anything
else, made in black, white and brown pony hide by Colombi in 1953. Only
a few samples and a couple of colorways were made, and Ponti had them
included in the 1953 catalogue “Italian” for Altamira. “Riflessi” was also
featured in Ponti’s living room in his home in via Dezza, Milan.
With “Sorrento” we wanted to remind people of Ponti’s work with the Vietri
ceramics who supplied the ceramic tiles for the floors of the Hotel Parco dei
Principi. For sure we could not reproduce all the 24 colorways of the drawings
and their infinite combinations, so we chose the most interesting model that
best renders the playful freshness and humour of the design, unburdened by
the heritage and aesthetic references to the classic ceramic decoration.
With “Taranto” we alluded to the perforated white sail adorning the frame of
the cathedral in Taranto designed by Ponti in 1970. A sail replaced the traditional
dome, as herald the otherworldy journey from earth to heaven instead of the
strict symbolic transposition of a wide blue yonder. The hexagon is also a true
stylistic hallmark of Ponti’s, and appears in the outlines of the church windows
in both St. Charles and St. Francis churches in Milan, in the plan of the Pirelli
tower, in the section of the Torre Littoria, as well as in furnishings and in fabrics
such as the ones here.
Lastly, with “Lettera disegnata” we chose one of the many sketches with
writings that our hero penned and sent to friends, family, clients, acquaintances,
colleagues, suppliers, employees, intellectuals, artists and so on. Ponti meant
these as a gift, a thoughtful token of fondness for the recipient that would go
beyond the mere content of the message, and at the same time a fun, lively
pursuit that was also a charming creative exercise for a great artist.
Now, looking back at the selection made we clearly think it deserves to
be completed with his 1930s designs for embroidered fabrics, or with his
amazing work for the Doccia ceramics , or his printed fabrics from the 1960s
and 1970s, or the brightly colored decorations for the ceilings of the villa
Planchart in Caracas. Truthfully, we are left wondering whether we are
grappling with the prolificacy of Ponti’s ouevre or with our pleasure to revel
in the soft vibrant surfaces of (flying) carpets!
incroci,
cat. II
Quality
56.000 knots/sqm
Composition
100% Tibetan Wool
(hand spanned and hand carved)
Technique
hand knotted
Origin
Nepal
Finishing
the carpets are hand washed,
clipped and curved. The fringes
are revolved on the backside
and covered with cloth.
Size
250 x 300 cm
and bespoke sizes
© Gio Ponti Archives
lettera disegnata,
cat. II
Quality
56.000 knots/sqm
Composition
100% Tibetan Wool
(hand spanned and hand carved)
Technique
hand knotted
Origin
Nepal
Finishing
the carpets are hand washed,
clipped and curved. The fringes
are revolved on the backside
and covered with cloth.
Size
250 x 300 cm
and bespoke sizes
© Gio Ponti Archives
DIAMANTINA,
cat. I
Quality
120.000 knots/sqm
Composition
20–30% Pure Silk
70_80% Tibetan Wool
(hand spanned and hand carved)
Technique
hand knotted
Origin
Nepal
Finishing
the carpets are hand washed,
clipped and curved. The fringes
are revolved on the backside
and covered with cloth.
Size
250 x 300 cm
and bespoke sizes
© Gio Ponti Archives
riflessi,
cat. I
Quality
120.000 knots/sqm
Composition
20–30% Pure Silk
70_80% Tibetan Wool
(hand spanned and hand carved)
Technique
hand knotted
Origin
Nepal
Finishing
the carpets are hand washed,
clipped and curved. The fringes
are revolved on the backside
and covered with cloth.
Size
250 x 300 cm
and bespoke sizes
© Gio Ponti Archives
taranto,
cat. I
Quality
120.000 knots/sqm
Composition
20–30% Pure Silk
70_80% Tibetan Wool
(hand spanned and hand carved)
Technique
hand knotted
Origin
Nepal
Finishing
the carpets are hand washed,
clipped and curved. The fringes
are revolved on the backside
and covered with cloth.
Size
250 x 300 cm
and bespoke sizes
© Gio Ponti Archives
sole – luna 02,
cat. I
Quality
120.000 knots/sqm
Composition
20–30% Pure Silk
70_80% Tibetan Wool
(hand spanned and hand carved)
Technique
hand knotted
Origin
Nepal
Finishing
the carpets are hand washed,
clipped and curved. The fringes
are revolved on the backside
and covered with cloth.
Size
250 x 300 cm
and bespoke sizes
© Gio Ponti Archives
esagoni,
cat. I
Quality
120.000 knots/sqm
Composition
20–30% Pure Silk
70_80% Tibetan Wool
(hand spanned and hand carved)
Technique
hand knotted
Origin
Nepal
Finishing
the carpets are hand washed,
clipped and curved. The fringes
are revolved on the backside
and covered with cloth.
Size
250 x 300 cm
and bespoke sizes
© Gio Ponti Archives
sorrento,
cat. I
Quality
120.000 knots/sqm
Composition
20–30% Pure Silk
70_80% Tibetan Wool
(hand spanned and hand carved)
Technique
hand knotted
Origin
Nepal
Finishing
the carpets are hand washed,
clipped and curved. The fringes
are revolved on the backside
and covered with cloth.
Size
250 x 300 cm
and bespoke sizes
© Gio Ponti Archives
LABIRINTO,
cat. I
Quality
120.000 knots/sqm
Composition
20–30% Pure Silk
70_80% Tibetan Wool
(hand spanned and hand carved)
Technique
hand knotted
Origin
Nepal
Finishing
the carpets are hand washed,
clipped and curved. The fringes
are revolved on the backside
and covered with cloth.
Size
250 x 300 cm
and bespoke sizes
© Gio Ponti Archives
box,
Description
Design box with 100 color pooms
and quality samples.
thanks,
Amini would like to cordially thank all contributors for the precious support
and participation in this unique project.
Special Thanks to the Gio Ponti Archives in the person of Mr. Paolo Rosselli,
Mrs. Letizia Frailich Ponti,
Mr. Giulio Ponti, Mr. Matteo Licitra and Mr. Salvatore Licitra, for their trust
and engagement, to the designer Elena Maria Casiello to help us revive the
style and design of Gio Ponti and many thanks to our Tibetan Team in Nepal
to follow us with enthusiasm and good spirit and gifting us with all their
material knowledge and weaving culture.
© Gio Ponti Archives | All images and texts are covered by copyright
www.amini.it