Domusforum 2020 was an important event for various reasons. To start with, it represented a powerful declaration of intent on behalf of Editoriale Domus and the sponsors who have chosen to invest in the midst of great uncertainty, embracing the social role of the business, and also served as a demonstration of how, even in this period of crisis, it is possible to aim for quality with the traditional exercises of exchange and criticism practised in new and highly technological ways.
Lastly, more than in previous editions, domusforum 2020 tackled pressing topical themes brought to the forefront by the pandemic, setting the traditional reflection on the role of design in present and future society on an extraordinarily practical level.
True to the by-now consolidated format, this year’s edition was once again characterised by individual 15-minute speeches, interviews and round tables.
As always, the event opened with the presentation of a study commissioned by Domus from an important international research institute - in this case the Boston Consulting Group, with the managing director for Italy, Nicola Pianon, illustrating the results of A vision for the Cities of the Future.
Originally set up as a traditional event, recent developments led the convention to be transformed into a mix of formats, with some speakers participating live and others via streaming from three continents, all orchestrated by the editorial director Walter Mariotti.
The guest editor for Domus 2020, David Chipperfield, took part remotely from Spain, with a reflection on the ten issues of the magazine he contributed on, while the round table on the urban spaces of the future saw the architectural historian Vittorio Magnago Lampugnani joined remotely by professor Wowo Ding from Nanjin University, China, and the Harvard academics Rahul Mehrotra and Sarah M. Whiting from the United States.
A second round table on the theme of sustainability - introduced by an interview with the CEO of Pirelli Marco Tronchetti Provera - involved the head of energy and environmental services for Edison Paolo Quaini, the president of the Cariplo Foundation Giovanni Fosti, and the architect Giulio De Carli, an expert in strategic infrastructure.
The world of culture was represented by the speeches held by the professor of Philosophy of Science at the IULM University Mauro Ceruti, the writer Igiaba Scego, and the expert in Mediterranean geopolitics Gianni Bonini, while institutions were represented through the viewpoints of the deputy director of the UNESCO World Heritage Center in Paris, Jyoti Hosagrahar and of Rinaldo Melucci, the mayor of Taranto, who is playing an active role in a post-industrial transition that is fundamental for both our country and beyond. Last but not least, the director general of the Museum of Science and Technology, Fiorenzo Galli, demonstrated how culture truly brings salvation by transforming the museum into a centre for vaccination.
Broadcast live via streaming on Domusweb with simultaneous translation into English for international audiences, the third edition of domusforum is now available on the website, an unmissable opportunity for an all-round reflection on the city, and therefore the society, of the future.