On the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of ACPV, the two co-founders, Antonio Citterio and Patricia Viel, decided to lead a study on the responsibility of architects in the construction of society, engaging in a conversation with other representative figures on the contemporary cultural scene, from fashion to art and design. And they decided to do it by means of a documentary, The importance of being an architect.
Let's take a step back. Like many others during the pandemic, the authors of the documentary Giorgio Ferrero and Federico Biasin say they asked themselves what the future cities would be like. “We live in a historical period in which disorientation seems to have the upper hand. It is also a time of change, in which, for the first time, nature is beginning to be perceived as something fundamental”. In order to understand how to shape their thoughts, they asked the advice of ACPV, one of the largest and most important architecture and interior design studios not only in Italy but also worldwide.
The film was designed to be both a virtual dialogue and a musical journey in four acts. Through the eyes of the architects and a custom-made soundscape, the viewer is taken through the buildings designed by ACPV. The energy latent in the architectural sites is evoked through musical scenes set in different parts of the world - Milan, L'Aquila, Hamburg, Taichung and Miami - in which individual musicians play notes that, although spatially distant, come together, thanks to the editing, in a single composition capable of breaking down distances and re-proposing the fundamental idea of coexistence.
“My life has always been a journey through places, ideas, experiences as a continuous source of inspiration: this film retraces those moments, tracing the lines of my vision for the future”, said Antonio Citterio. While Patricia Viel said: “With this film, we want to propose a reflection on the role that the architect and architecture have and will have in society”.
The film will have its World Premiere at the Milan Design Film Festival 2021, with a premiere on October 18 and a screening on the 21st.