THE USELESS OBJECT

April 8, 2024

Salvador Dali for Alessi

APRIL 2024 - GAZE

"Don't be afraid of perfection: you'll never achieve it." ”

Salvador Dalí

In creating an object and trying to achieve the quintessence of beauty, it can happen that you have to sacrifice functionality. The real challenge lies in knowing how to balance both, but when you push yourself exclusively towards the aesthetic side, then you have to look for its purpose in something else, rooted in a mystery, a provocation or a fascinating nonsense. This is what Salvador Dalí and his “Useless Object” teach us for Alessi.

Obget inutile, vase, sur un problème de topologie négative Obget inutile, vase, sur un problème de topologie négative

The avant-garde of Alessi’s products has punctuated the daily lives of many of us, becoming something taken for granted and at the same time exceptional, also celebrated in museums such as the MoMA in New York. A leading name in the world of industrial design, the Italian company has made a change in its identity since 1970 with Alberto Alessi, grandson of the founder Giovanni. In this decade, the famous collaborations with the designers Achille Castiglioni, Ettore Sottsass and Richard Sapper were born, and the first iconic pieces were produced. In the same years, the ambitious Alessi d’après project was carried out , which marked the encounter between art and design, making works accessible to the general public that in terms of ideas and aesthetics are at a more complex level than the products that can normally be purchased. This has been possible thanks to the involvement of artists and the non-limited production of art multiples. It was attended, among others, by Giò Pomodoro and Salvador Dalí.

Dalí’s contribution was a beautiful failure. Although the wind of fortune has recently turned. Before revealing how, it is worth making two clarifications. The first is an objection to the idea behind this audacious project by Alessi, and can be traced back to what Walter Benjamin expounded in the essay “The work of art in the era of its technical reproducibility” written and revised between 1935 and 1939. Starting from a conception of a work of art confined to cult circles, the German author tells us that from the moment it is reproduced in series thanks to new techniques, and with a generalized possibility of enjoying it, its “aura” disappears, that is, that mystical and unrepeatable sensation that is generated between the observer and the work. A privileged relationship based on the concepts of authenticity of the work and uniqueness of its creation, which also define its fruition. So how can we identify the works of Alessi d’après that have an unlimited production and can be purchased by anyone? A diffusion of art that is certainly more democratic, but also inclined to be materialistic and less contemplative.

The second aspect concerns the figure of the author examined. Salvador Dalí’s imagination and peculiar character led him to be one of the most influential and controversial artists of the 20th century. Often in contrast to his surrealist colleagues, Dalí always emphasized his passion for wealth, achieved throughout his life by selling every expression of his genius. It is not surprising, therefore, that his work is often aimed at enriching him. Painter, set designer, photographer, stylist, sculptor and also designer, when in 1973 Alessi commissioned him to create a work for the Alessi d’après collection, Dalí gladly accepted.

In accordance with his surrealist production, the artist puts together several elements in a bizarre way for a conceptually elusive result: two clothespins hold together the two edges of a sheet of steel folded on itself, in the squeeze there is also a comb – which is not a simple comb, being gilded and with hooks used for salmon fishing welded to its teeth. The shape of the hooks recalls the artist’s famous mustache, and the size varies depending on the size of the comb teeth. The work is baptized with a particularly apt name: “Obget inutile, vase, sur un problème de topologie négative”, more commonly known as “Useless Object”. Despite the caliber of the character involved, the project did not convince the company and the work was not put into production. It should be noted, however, that it is the Alessi d’après project itself that is short-lived, unlike what happens with collaborations with other important designers, which extend to include Alessandro Mendini, Aldo Rossi and Philippe Starck.

Time, however, has proved Dalí right. Last year Alessi re-presented its project at the Salone del Mobile in Milan and decided to put it into production. The useless object can now be purchased, albeit with a limited production this time – maximum 99 pieces – and in a precious version: silver for the curved body, gilded brass for the comb and steel with gold finishes for the hooks welded to it. At the apex, the embrace of a single olive wood peg.

Salvador Dalí’s provocation and irreverent flair have thus struck not only the concept of art, deprived of its aura due to reproducibility and generalized access, but have also revolutionized the world of design, where functionality is an essential element. Almost certainly designed by Dali to shock the public and make them earn money, the useless Obget may not have the essence of a work of art in its most canonical conception and at most propose itself as a fascinating piece of furniture, but it is certainly the perfect synthesis of the personality and genius of its author. That 99 lucky people will be able to get into their homes at the modest cost of six thousand euros.

BY Niccolò Sandroni

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THE USELESS OBJECT