Last Saturday, the second edition of “Attraverso il Design” took place in Piacenza. The project was conceived and organised by the cultural association “Home Gallery”, run by Cecilia and Carlo Ponzini.
The event, divided into three parts, began in the morning at the Teatro Municipale with a discussion on the theme “Packaging Valley. The future is designed together’, featuring contributions from representatives of institutions, academia, research, design and the business world. Participants in the first part of the debate included, amongst others, Luigi Colombo, Vice-Rector of the Piacenza Campus of the Politecnico di Milano, and Giorgia Spigno, lecturer at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore. The second part, on the other hand, focused on businesses and the supply chain, featuring Anna Paola Cavanna of Laminati Cavanna, a long-established Piacenza-based company in the flexible packaging sector; Andrea Ghu of Poplast; Riccardo Zammori of Gualapack; Giacomo Canali of Barilla; Andrea Lezoli of Pubbliregia Ferrero; Elena Chioda of Calam, economist Fabio Papa, and Vincenzo Cerciello and Giulia Malta of Confapi Industria Piacenza. This second session opened with a video presentation curated by Anna Paola Cavanna, Cecilia Ponzini and architect Manrico Bissi, dedicated to the history and evolution of Piacenza’s packaging supply chain, from the production facilities of the 20th century to the companies that today form the fabric of its industrial landscape.
“Packaging”, said Anna Paola Cavanna at the end of the video screening, “is a sector of excellence that has become one of the key drivers of ‘Made in Italy’. In this context, Piacenza is fortunate to benefit from a favourable geographical position that allows it to forge links with the North, the Centre and the South.” “I am delighted with this second edition of ‘Attraverso il design’”, she added, “because it brings together all the key elements of the packaging sector, from machinery manufacturers to science and training: together, we want to demonstrate that it is only by networking – with everyone remaining within the supply chain in their own role and with their own expertise – that we can create a driving force.” Cavanna then emphasised the importance of linking the concept of design to that of eco-design, pointing out that nowadays, “when designing packaging, one already envisages what its end-of-life will be – whether it will be reused or recycled”. “Years ago”, he concluded, “we founded the Carta Etica del Packaging Foundation, which produced a document setting out 10 values designed to guide packaging towards a more sustainable future. We want consumers to understand what they handle every day and never lose sight of what packaging does: it protects the product and safeguards those who buy it.”
The event then continued in the afternoon in the square with performances by the Domenichino da Piacenza Dance Academy and Vap Sitting Volley, and in the evening, back at the Teatro Municipale, with a performance by the Ensemble Filarmonica Italiana for the ‘From Vivaldi to Piazzolla’ charity gala concert.
