Aidi 1959-2019
Sixty years
of Culture of Light
A commitment
for the future
T
he Italian “economic boom” exploded in
1959. After the post-war reconstruction
(1946-48) and a decade of capital accumulation
(1948-58), Italians were no strangers to
wellbeing and consumerism, the power of
exports and blossoming of small businesses.
The boom, also known as “the economic
miracle”, lasted up until 1963.
This was a historical turning point that impacted
every field. Salvatore Quasimodo and Emilio
Segré won the Nobel Prize for Literature and
Physics, respectively, in 1959. The computer Elea
9003 was born, designed by Sottsass for the
Olivetti factories, whereas in Ispra, works on the
first Italian reactor began. Nor can we forget
that 1959 is also the year of the mythical
Canzonissima, conducted by the unbeatable
trio: Scala, Manfredi, and Panelli. It was the
year of the first Zecchino d’oro, a children's song
festival invented by Cino Tortorella, known as
Mago Zurlì. It was the year of the 45 rpm record
that marked the debut of the wild duo: Giorgio
Gaber and Enzo Jannacci. The year 1959 was also
an important one for the world of sports: the
“Stadio del Sole” was inaugurated in Naples, to
later become the “San Paolo” Stadium, AC Milan
won its seventh cup, and works for the Olympic
Games were in full throttle, hosted the
following year in Rome.
During this period of economic, social and
cultural growth, the world of lighting also
changed. Light bulbs were not merely a
functional coating but would become products
with a strong identity, loaded with culture and
important interpreters of contemporaneity.
Cities and monuments lit up with new lights,
further testifying to the wellbeing and the
wish for great renovation and expansion
crossing all of Italian society in that era. In
particular, urban expansion and the
subsequent growth of the outskirts led to the
illumination of new roads, with standards that
often were not yet taking lighting knowledge
into consideration.
It was in this context that some of the pioneers
of the lighting world decided to found our
Association. On April 6th, 1959, AIDI was
established in Milan by engineers Piero Anfossi
of ANIE, Lino Richard of Edisonvolta, Filippo
Carati of AEM Milano, Ugo Pollice, Giovanni Cova
of SIP, Ugo Fuccinelli of Philips, Ariberto Tibaldi
of Edisonvolta, and Renzo Grandi of
Buini&Grandi. These were all important
managers, expressions of an “illuminated”
industry, pointing out the need to create a
reality that could be an influential point of
reference for the Italian lighting sector, aiming
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LUCE 330 / AIDI
to declare and develop a new culture of light.
“An association – as read in the instrument of
incorporation – that is eminently cultural, with
the aim of contributing to the spreading of
knowledge regarding the problems of lighting
and the techniques in ever more diverse
environments”. Beyond Osram and Philips,
numerous companies specialising in the
construction of lighting apparatus joined
immediately, including the large municipal
companies like AEM Torino, ACEA Roma, and
important universities such as the Polytechnic
and the University of Turin.
In the US, but also in Europe – particularly in
England, France and Germany –, there were
already similar associations, so there was a
need to create an Italian association that could
gather all the protagonists of lighting to discuss
projects and technologies that were under
development.
A couple of years later, AIDI became the
publisher of the magazine LUCE, with the
specific intent to create an additional tool for
disseminating technologies and systems’ design
and construction techniques, further
consolidating the strategic role of the
Association in the development and promotion
of the culture of light. The mythical AIDI design
manual and notebooks were born; a significant
cultural point of reference for many designers
and enthusiasts of light. The National
Convention became one of the most anticipated
and important moments in the life of the
association, where figures could discuss and
update each other regarding the developments
of technology and its most advanced projects.
Between the ‘70s and ‘90s, AIDI also assumed a
central role in the most important international
contexts, like in the 3rd Edition of LUX Europa,
hosted in Florence in October 1972, and the 4th
International Congress of Taormina in 1990,
confirming the quality of the dissemination
activities put forward in those years.
In the late ‘90s, the liberalisation of the
electricity market and the development of the
internet changed some of the fixed points on
which our Association stood upon, imposing the
need to review the modes of communication
and diffusion of the lighting culture. Thanks to
the hard work carried out by its members, the
Association was able to confront the difficulties
presented by these changes and renovate itself.
New initiatives were launched, such as the video
contest “Riprenditi la città, Riprendi la luce”,
allowing us to draw closer to young people,
listening to their needs and their nocturnal
vision of the city and places they go to.
Sixty years of history represent a long walk,
made possible by AIDI’s capacity to create
a continuous discussion between the different
entities operating in the lighting
sector: from equipment manufacturers to
the managers of lighting networks, from
professionals to academics, all moved by
a common interest: developing and
spreading the culture of light in its noblest
sense, illuminating urban spaces in a more
rational way. All of this to favour a higher
degree of security and enhance our country’s
rich artistic and monumental heritage.
The foundation’s anniversary is, therefore, a way
of tracing the history of AIDI and lighting in our
country, but also an opportunity to analyse the
technological evolution impacting design and the
transformation of traditional sources, particularly
with the implementation of LEDs, which are
altering the nocturnal panorama of many cities.
This represents an important milestone, as it
becomes a moment of reflection on the results
obtained by the Association, as well as the new
challenges ahead. Lighting installations will
increasingly be a fundamental tool for conveying
information and services. The development of
wiring in our country, along with the advent of
5G, will provide a further impulse for urban
development in a “Smart” way. These are
challenges we are preparing to face, conscious of
the strength, availability, passion, and
dedication of its members to keep the
Association alive and render it an ever more
riveting protagonist in the world of light.
Sixty years represent an incentive to continue
pursuing the same objectives that pushed men
and companies to establish it in 1959. Now that
AIDI’s anniversary is concluded, on the eve of
2020, I give my greatest thanks to all those who,
in various roles, have worked in all these years
towards the life and success of the Association.
A commitment, our commitment, also for
its future.