Mythology, medieval echoes, neoclassical proportions, a huge, cartoonish dragon egg, paws and tail popping out of the cracks ready to hatch altogether, and water, springing over a large mirror-fountain: the large installation by Los Angeles-based Playla studio, symbolizing the unfolding of Alessi's creative power, could probably have stirred some reaction in Alessandro Mendini, a breakthrough art director for the company in the late 1970s (and the dedicatee of an exhibition at the Triennale titled Io sono un drago – I Am a Dragon).

Myth Makes Belief at Palazzo Borromeo D'Adda moves right from there, from the legend that a dragon lived in Lake Orta sowing death and destruction until Julius, a Greek cleric who came to the area to evangelize the local population, killed it simply by brandishing the crucifix he wore around his neck. Tangible proof of the tale would be a vertebral egg still standing on the island in the center of the lake, named precisely after Julius – who has since been made a saint. It is precisely the dragon and his egg that inspired the installation, and the company’s origins, firmly rooted on the shores of Lake Orta. Surrounding the installation, the four historiated glass window decals tell the “mythical story” of Alessi, alternating with recently launched products of the Italian company based in Omegna.

Palazzo Borromeo d’Adda, Via Alessandro Manzoni 41
16-21 aprile, h.10-18