Italian designer Andrea Corsi does not consider himself a designer. “I’m an artisan,” he says. The mastermind behind Corsi Design and the flag bearer of Gaetano Pesce’s popular Fish Design collection, Corsi blends bold shapes and colors into each product that he makes, imprinting every object with his artistic impression.
His first encounter with Pesce, the pioneering Italian architect and designer, led Corsi to begin creating products in resin, an unpredictable yet fascinating material. After Corsi launched the Fish Design collection in Pantone Color of the Year, Mocha Mousse, earlier this year, we reached out to him to learn more about his work and his relationship with Gaetano Pesce. Read on to know what he has to say in the interview below:
Homecrux (HC): Can you share how and when you began your artisan journey?
Andrea Corsi (AC): Since the very beginning, when I first met Gaetano Pesce, in 2002, I have been fascinated by the manufacturing process of his pieces which was between craftsmanship and art. I started from there, more than 20 years ago, to make the pieces of the Fish Design collection: the most beautiful and visionary collection by Gaetano Pesce.
Homecrux (HC): How did the destined encounter with Gaetano Pesce change your perspective toward design?
AC: My design perspective was definitely more ‘industrial’ given my past working experiences in companies like Cassina and Alias. With Gaetano Pesce, I had the possibility to see the artistic side of design and appreciate the human value imprinted in the pieces, through the hands of who made them. It is this humanity of the object that changed and actually enriched my perspective on design.
Homecrux (HC): We are intrigued by your relationship with resin as craft material. Can you share your experience?
AC: Resin is a fluid and unpredictable material, which has reactions often influenced by external factors such as temperature or humidity. What I particularly appreciate when working the resin is the constant adjustments required between what you have in mind and what happens in front of you. Working with other designers has been an additional challenge that led me to new experiences and created a unique know-how regarding this material.
Homecrux (HC): What other materials do you prefer and why?
AC: My favorite materials are wood and marble despite the fact that I have never had the chance to work with them yet.
Homecrux (HC): How has your collaboration with other designers turned out?
AC: I had the fortune to work with extraordinary designers and I must say very special human beings too. Therefore each and every experience with them has been an unforgettable journey. I think of Enzo Mari, Alessandro Mendini, and of course, Gaetano Pesce who were great intellectual minds but also the Campana brothers and Paola Navone. It has always been very interesting working with them because every time a different world was unraveling in front of my eyes: their world. Every experience has been a brick which has contributed to build up my sensibility towards design.
Homecrux (HC): Can you tell us about your brand, Corsi Design? How do you envision the future of design?
AC: Corsi Design is a very small group of people who work in an incredible and unique synergy. Everyone brings in their own knowledge, skills, and personality at the service of the production of the amazing objects we manufacture, with a constant challenge to improve the result. I like to think this is a place where everyone can try their hands at jobs they didn’t know how to do before. I think the future of design will be divided between ’true design’, which in my opinion is coming up with new shapes using new materials and ‘other design’, which is restyling the existing.
Homecrux (HC): Fish Design wants to go beyond the uniformity and superficiality of traditional design objects. How will the project blend with modern lifestyles?
AC: The possibility to express one’s unique personality, like our pieces, is simply timeless and goes beyond styles or fashion. It’s a matter of personal taste therefore our pieces can be appreciated or not (I doubt anyone can remain neutral in front of one of our pieces) but it is undeniable that objects created according to a precise vision and with a very defined personality can become ambassadors of visions and values.
Homecrux (HC): Have you ever made appearances at design events like Salone del Mobile? What do you reckon is the importance of such platforms?
AC: Of course, we have always participated in events in relation to Salone del Mobile or big fairs like Maison et Objet. These events have the great value of giving visibility but also testing the public’s perception of certain products.
Homecrux (HC): Any words of wisdom for young designers who want to shape the future of this industry?
AC: I am an artisan who makes what designers imagine and design therefore I can give advice from a manufacturing point of view. The designer of the future should intertwine different disciplines, mixing philosophy and matter, sociology and shapes to imprint a distinctive human vision that goes beyond functionality.
We appreciate Andrea Corsi for taking time out of his schedule and sharing insights with us.
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