Achille Castiglioni

It is not the designer's aim to turn false memories into ideology, but to convey curiosity, fun and love. This was Achille Castiglioni's angry response to the dictate of Post-Modernism. The second part of his sentence stands as a manifesto for his more than fifty years of work - work which frequently commences with a little experiment, a new composition of familiar objects or shapes, with a distant smile at all narrow specifications and practical constraints. The shapes of his designs for industrial products in post-war Italy made Castiglioni a pioneer of modern design, and as the co-founder of some of the most important institutions in design history, i.e. the ADI, the Italian professional association, Triennale Milan and the Compasso d"Oro, he still plays a central role. Famous designs like the Brionvega devices, the 'toio" lamp made from a car headlamp and the "Messandro" chair made from a tractor seat were forward-looking and are now on show at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, many, sometimes spectacular, exhibitions and awards underline the architect's reputation as a major contemporary designer. The design for Milk is exemplary of his work, it is loosely based on Marcel Duchamps" Ready Mades and Castiglioni utilizes the graphic symbol most widely used throughout the world - the bar-code and purposely contrasts its cold white with the warm white of milk. A real Castiglioni.