Bruno Gecchelin, a life in design: the interview in «La casa in ordine»
In conversation with Evi Mibelli, Bruno Gecchelin reflects on his early years with Sottsass at Olivetti, on light and photography, and on the enduring role of drawing in the age of artificial intelligence.
In La casa in ordine, Evi Mibelli retraces sixty years of design with Bruno Gecchelin, weaving his professional career into the story of his life.
It begins with his childhood in Milan, his father’s work as an engineer at Isotta Fraschini and an early passion for car bodies, which he drew and modelled from a young age. In the early 1960s, he joined the Olivetti design office led by Ettore Sottsass, contributing, among other projects, to the Valentine typewriter. What followed was the founding of his studio, collaborations with leading Made in Italy companies and two Compasso d’Oro awards, in 1989 and 1991.
The interview turns to light, the common thread running through Bruno Gecchelin’s entire career, and to photography, a practice he has always pursued: the well-known 1974 portrait of Ettore Sottsass is his own. He also recalls his years teaching at the Politecnico di Milano, at the invitation of Tomás Maldonado.
When asked about the present, Bruno is unequivocal. Technology, artificial intelligence included, may assist and accelerate the work, but creativity remains a human prerogative. For this reason, he urges young designers to learn to draw. He is equally concerned by companies absorbed into financial groups, where the direct dialogue with the entrepreneur that once made Italian design great has been lost.
He concludes with a project still waiting in the drawer: a bicycle conceived for the cities of the future.