An evening in September
The setting could not have been more perfectly chosen, as Piazza Vecchia in the historic centre of Bergamo offers an architecturally impressive scenery that was completed in the 15th century and has lost none of its charisma to this day. At regular intervals, it is also the centre for the I Maestri del Paesaggio festival, whose ideas for sustainable landscape planning are supported by Pedrali. "Grow together" was this year's motto, which translated seamlessly to the community: The Pedrali family brought together great names from the design and architecture scene, such as architect and designer Michele De Lucchi, who designed the wooden Pedrali Pavilion together with his team from AMDL Circle to mark Pedrali's 60th anniversary, or Marva Griffin Wilshire, the founder and curator of SaloneSatellite, the most important international platform for young designers. In a relaxed atmosphere, the guests were able to celebrate together, make new connections and strengthen existing ones. Seating was provided on outdoor furniture by Pedrali, both under the arch of the Campanone, the historic city tower, and by the Antico Lavatoio, the old washing fountain, as well a historic landmark in the city.
Pedrali chose an appealing combination of furniture from the established range with new models: The "Souvenir" chair by Eugeni Quitllet features a monobloc armchair made of polypropylene, while the "Remind" chair from his hand is reminiscent of the dynamic curves of wooden chairs from the second half of the 19th century and translates the aesthetics of Viennese wickerwork into a new context using a perforated backrest made of polypropylene. The "Tribeca" collection by CMP Design represents a contemporary interpretation of the patio chairs from the 1960s, whose metal form has been covered with plastic ropes: The designer trio has thus chosen a straight-lined base, optionally with slightly flared armrests. The strands of extruded PVC with a nylon core offer a particularly high level of seating comfort and return to their original position when not in use. At the same time, the metal furniture make reference to the metal garden chairs with which Mario Pedrali founded his company in 1963. It was just as wonderful to relax on the "Nolita" chaise longue from CMP Design. A green frame was provided by the "Hevea" flower pot holder by Victoria Azadinho Bocconi, whose six pots on a steel stem can be placed either facing each other or in a spiral.
The theme of sustainability, which has always been a guiding principle for the family business, was likewise visible in the diverse display, as it has been for the organisers of the landscape exhibition – the Associazione Culturale Arketipos, the city of Bergamo and the Lombardy region: These included the presentation of seedlings of typical Lombardy forest species on reusable metal frames. "We shape a better future" is Pedrali's guiding principle, which they underlined in an expressive way with the outdoor event in the heart of Bergamo.
