Performed between the 15th and 30th of June 1965, under the responsibility of the sculptress and glass designer Maria Helena Matos (b. 1924), the 1st Fortnight of Industrial Aesthetics took place in Lisbon (Palácio Foz) with the presentation of a series of conferences about industrial design lectured by several European experts. This event was accompanied by an International Exhibition of Industrial Design which established a milestone in the Portuguese design history: for the first time the English term design was integrated in the lexicon of the official discourse appearing in the title of the exhibition and its catalogue.

We are dealing with one of the issues surrounding the dialects of design. Under the influence of the French culture, the terminology Esthétique Industrielle was adapted by the Portuguese discourse and used even in the 60s. Including, one of the speakers in the "1st fortnight of Industrial Aesthetics" was the engineer Henri Viénot, son of Jacques Viénot - creator of the association and magazine Esthétique Industrielle (founded in 1951 and directed by himself until his death in 1959), - successor of his father as head of the studio “Technès” and vice-president of the Institut d’Esthétique Industrielle (also created by Jacques Viénot, in 1951).

The fact that the English expression appeared in the title of the exhibition and its catalogue, made a turning point in the official discourse in relation to the French terminology, considered outdated by the young Portuguese designers who collaborated with the Art and Industrial Architecture Nucleus. This change has to be understood in relation with the Intercalary Fomentation Plan (1965-1967) that emphasized the demands of the external concurrence: the dictatorship sought to modernize and young Portuguese technicians, namely architects and designers, took advantage of the little openness that the Intercalary Plan provided.

MHS

AS (transl.)

As conferências que tiveram lugar na 1ª Quinzena de Estética Industrial realizaram-se com o objectivo de se discutir o “mais actual problema do industrial design”. (Tradução das conferências proferidas durante a Iª Quinzena de Estética Industrial. Lisboa: I.N.I.I., 1966, p. 1).

No primeiro dia das conferências, a 15 de Junho, o engenheiro Henri Viénot falou sobre a “Rentabilidade do Industrial Design”, estabeleceu uma análise comparativa entre a indústria portuguesa e a produção internacional e desenvolveu os conceitos de "industrial design" e "industrial designer".

No dia 16, o arquitecto italiano Giorgio Madini-Moretti falou sobre as “Novas tendências do Design na indústria italiana”, numa abordagem em que relacionou a engenharia mecânica e o “industrial design”, analisando entre outros exemplos, o automóvel modelo 500  (Cinquecento), desenvolvido em 1957 para a FIAT pelo engenheiro Dante Giacosa e que recebeu um prémio especial do concurso “Compasso d’Oro”.

O britânico James Noel White, então director adjunto do Council of Industrial Design, no dia 18 de Junho analisou as questões relacionadas com "A empresa e o Industrial "Design", com enfoque na construção de uma identidade corporativa (corporate identity: logótipo, estacionário…), passando pela importância da criação de embalagens para os produtos e as questões da publicidade associadas, factores que permitem o reconhecimento, a difusão e exportação dos produtos industriais.

O arquitecto e designer italiano Sergio Asti, no dia 21 de Junho partilhou o seu ponto de vista sobre "A problemática do design", que considerou atravessar diferentes estruturas político-sociais, desde as económicas às educativas e como ao "designer" também cabe reconhecer e enfrentar diferentes problemas colocados pela sociedade.

A conferência no dia 24, "Design e Artesanato", pronunciada por Herman Olof Gummerus, director da Finnish Society of Crafts and Design (Helsínquia), destacou a exposição "Den Permanente" sobre uma associação privada sem fins lucrativos, defensora da obtenção da qualidade dos produtos escandinavos através do recurso às tradições artesanais e materiais autóctones dos diferentes países desta região.

Por último, a 28 de Junho, Xavier Auer, presidente da "Color Activ" de Zurique, desenvolveu o tema "As cores na indústria", numa conferência dedicada à psicologia da cor e à importância das teorias da cor para a indústria, a qual deve saber incorporar este conhecimento através da contratação de consultores e designers especialistas neste sector.

MHS

The conferences performed in the 1st Fortnight of Industrial Aesthetics had the goal to discuss “the most current problem of industrial design”. (Tradução das conferências proferidas durante a Iª Quinzena de Estética Industrial. Lisboa: I.N. I.I., 1966, p. 1).

On the first day, 15th of June, the engineer Henri Viénot talked about the “Industrial Design Profitability”, established a comparative analysis between the Portuguese industry and international production and developed the "industrial design" and "industrial designer" concepts.

On the 16th, the Italian architect Giorgio Madini-Moretti talked about “New Design trends in the Italian industry”, in an approach that related mechanical engineering and “industrial design”, analysing, among other examples, the 500 (Cinquecento) car model developed in 1957 by the engineer Dante Giacosa for FIAT and which received “Compasso d'Oro" special prize.

The British James Noel White, Deputy Director of the Council of Industrial Design, on the 18th of June analysed issues related with “The enterprise and Industrial "Design", focusing in the construction of a corporate identity (logo, branding…), as well as the importance of packaging of the products and issues associated to advertising, elements that allow the recognition, diffusion and exportation of industrial products.

The Italian architect and designer Sergio Asti on the 21st of June shared his point of view about “The problematic of Design”, considering that its crossing distinct political-social structures, from the economical to the educational and how the “designer” has

to recognise and face different problems put by society.

The conference on the 24th, “Design and Handicraft” pronounced by Herman Olof Gummerus, Director of the Finnish Society of Crafts and Design (Helsinki) highlighted the "Den Permanente" exhibition, a non-profit private association formed in achieving quality of the Scandinavian products, through the use of craft traditions and indigenous materials of the countries in this region.

Finally, on the 28th of June, Xavier Auer, President of “Color Activ" Zurich, developed the theme “The colours in industry”, a conference dedicated to the psychology of colour and to the importance of colour theories in the industry and how the industry must incorporate this knowledge by hiring expert consultants and designers in this sector.

MHS

AS (transl.)

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