Cover photo by Sebastiano Rossi
«I smile when I think back to the process with which MrX was born. Ultimately it all started from a mistake on my part”: thus the architect from Bergamo Marco Acerbisborn in 1973, talks about the birth of the design object that led him to win the latest edition of the Compasso d’Oro Adi 2024, an award established in 1945 by Gio Ponti and has become the most prestigious in this field at an international level.
MrX, created by Acerbis for the Talenti brand, is a furnishing accessory capable of shading outdoor spaces without taking up space. Looking at the object when closed, it is not easy to understand its function, but the enigma becomes clearer as it unfolds. In fact, suddenly, by opening the two-dimensional structure made of aluminum like a compass, you obtain a large awning capable of creating a vast area of shade.
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Acerbis, graduated from the Polytechnic of Milan and with work experience also in London, says: «SI was designing a tent that somehow had to have an From there there was a succession of intuitions that led to what is the definitive object which then won the Compasso d’Oro».
From two-dimensional to three-dimensional
Hence, therefore, the new objective: «I wanted to create an object that was so two-dimensional when closed that it disappeared, but so three-dimensional when opened as to create an underlying space of great protection, widely and easily usable; we are talking about a tent that when open measures 4m x 4m, therefore really spacious, easy to furnish with a beautiful composition of outdoor sofas but which when closed is a portal. This portal somehow disappears, because the tent disappears and the two legs overlap.”
The power of innovation
The originality of the object lies not so much in the structure or technologies used, but in the new way of interpreting them, making the most of their potential.
The architect explains: «The idea of having an awning that extends from a horizontal element, like the boom of a sailing boat, is something that already existed. But this is precisely what makes MrX for me perhaps one of the most interesting projects I have ever created, because there is nothing like being able to innovate the product using existing technologies, perhaps uniting worlds that look at each other but do not necessarily communicate with each other , such as the nautical world and the outdoor world of furniture, to create an object that becomes completely new.”
