Alessi Phone
2009
Alessi – Telecom Italia
This is the second telephone designed for Alessi, the first one dated to 2003. What's different about this cordless phone is that it's completely out of the ordinary: whereas this typology is normally characterized by the difference between the handset and the base station, each of which is perfectly recognizable, Giovannoni's new telephone features the homogeneous identity between the two parts: when the phone is not in use the handset is placed on top of the base station to form a single body.
An historical precedent can be traced to Marco Zanuso's 1967 Grillo phone, perhaps the first attempt made to combine two functions, until that time separate, into a single body. Yet the two objects are completely different: while the Grillo toyed with irony, the Alessiphone, thanks to its absolutely contemporary and dynamic aspect, tells you that it's a creature of technology. Made from shiny polycarbonate that's white on the outside and black on the inside, this object contains both cutting-edge technology and latest-generation functionality.