Enzo Mari, "25 ways to drive a nail"

25 ways to drive a nail – Sixty years of ideas and projects in defence of a dream is the complete title of Enzo Mari?s book, published by Mondadori as part of the Strade Blu series.

The designer speaks in first person about his life, education and self-education, his work, and objects he has designed that have become iconic, such as his designs in collaboration with Bruno Danese (the Putrella bowl, the Camicia vase, the Mascarene ashtray, the Java sugar bowl), and then for Driade, Zanotta and others, to his projects all over the world.

Mari speaks of his successes, but also his delusions and misunderstood works.

In the background is Italy, and the rest of the world, from the 30s and 40s to the post-war years, from the years of contestation to the present, with all the issues that have come up at various times, the contradictions and the new hopes, dialogue with other intellectuals and designers, and a severe judgement of the progressive degradation of contemporary design attributable to the global market and the easy illusions it has brought.

The book makes an enjoyable read, and Enzo Mari?s reflections, though rooted in his work in design, transcend the borders of the discipline to become teachings and precious food for thought in design, architecture and other areas as well.

Title: 25 modi per piantare un chiodo (25 ways to drive a nail)
Author: Enzo Mari
Publisher: Mondadori

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