project

The Swiss designer Peter Zumthor is one of the most interesting and courted international architects of the 21st century. He lives and works in his atelier located in an out-of-the-way village in the German-Swiss Mountains. In 2001, Alessandro Mendini and I undertook an adventurous journey to meet him, in the hope of convincing him to take part in our “Tea & Coffee Towers” operation—in vain, as it turned out, as unfortunately Zumthor did not feel up to it at the time. What he did say, however, was that he would think about collaborating with Alessi, and that he might send me some projects on themes close to his heart. In our trade patience is all important, and a few years after that first meeting Zumthor presented his PZ01, PZ02 and PZ03 designs. These are objects Zumthor originally designed as one-off pieces for use in his own house. PZ01 is a pepper mill, made of precious European wood essences, which at a first glance looks like the mushroom-shaped pillars that support the Valsesia mountain chalets, but extended in an attempt, perhaps, to reach the essence of the manual mill. PZ02 and PZ03 are candleholders made from a single block of turned cast aluminium. This manufacturing process, which would escape the inexperienced eye of many, is extremely important as, in the designer's mind, it confers a sense of unity to the object, which takes on the identity of a fully-fledged mechanic part, worked individually and matt brushed in the workshop.