LUCE 330 | Page 24

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 22 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.