VELCA, A FIRE TO BE GUARDED

14 September, 2021

more than 400 visitors to the exhibition in the sala rossa organised with distretto 5vie for design week 2021

"Where there are people, there is Velca".

This is the title of the exhibition organised in our Sala Rossa on the occasion of the Design Week and the programme of events for Fuorisalone 2021, in collaboration with the 5VIE district.. A title that recalls Velca's noble history, because it recalls the slogan born from the collaboration in the 1980s with the Litta theatre in Milan (for which Velca took care of the furnishings).

The protagonist of the exhibition was a company from Legnano that no longer exists but whose products have remained in the imagination, in the homes - and in the hearts - of many people. We are talking about Velca Legnano, which over the years of activity has signed pieces such as Scaleo, Vip, Golf and the K Series chairs (more than a million pieces sold worldwide, winner of the Compasso d'Oro).

A world-renowned brand, as we wanted to emphasise in the subtitle of the exhibition. The Scaleo ladder (1974) is part of the collection of the collection of the MoMA - Museum of Modern Art in New York.

"Tradition is not the cult of ashes, but the custody of fire' Gustav Mahler.

The exhibition was open to the public - with the possibility of booking guided tours - from 4 to 12 September. more than 400 visitorsincluding many Velca employees and people from the world of design and architecture.

Velca is in fact a well-known name among industry insiders. Suffice it to say that among the designers and professionals who have collaborated or whose stories have intertwined with Velca Legnano there are talents such as Renzo Piano and Oliviero Toscani, Lucci & Orlandini, Benanti & Brunori, Franco Annoni and Albert Leclerc, Claudio Platania. And Latis architects, who designed the headquarters in Via Juker.

Among the visitors we also had the pleasure of welcoming the group of Giovani Imprenditori Confindustria Altomilanese and the Famiglia Legnanese, whom we also thank for their patronage.

Elisabetta Cozzi and Gabriele Vedani

Architect Oscar Buratti

Mayor Radice and Councillor Bragato

We were delighted to start a new season of events at the Museum with a project that is so consistent with our mission: to spread business culture," said Elisabetta Cozzi, director of the Museum, at the opening of the exhibition. - said Museum Director Elisabetta Cozzi at the opening of the exhibition . In this case, the company no longer exists, but the memory of what once was also matters so much for affirming the present and planning the future.

We believe that museums have a task: to make the past always legible, engaging and easily recognisable in the eyes of the general public.

As Antonio Calabrò, President of MuseImpresa, puts it: "Living, vital places, spaces in which a company tells its story. Places where tradition, experience and innovation come together, and where art is also the protagonist."

  "Tradition is not the cult of ashes, but the custody of fire," said Gustav Mahler. Business museums believe in 'keeping the fire', the constant relationship with the evolution of modernity.

Without a business story there would be no future prospects. This concept reinforces the role of museums and company archives, especially for the younger generations.

Elisabetta Cozzi, Gabriele Vedani, Pietro Cozzi, Roberto Lucci, Paolo Girotti, Claudio Platania, Paolo Orlandini, Daniele Casaroli. 

Finally, there were many exciting moments. These included the visit of former employees, who shared valuable documents with us, such as a letter of recognition for their work at Velca and a work booklet, and the closing evening of the final eveningwhich immediately sold out, where we had the honour of having as guests architects Roberto Lucci and Paolo Orlandini. Roberto Lucci and Paolo Orlandini as well as Claudio Platania, together with the sons of Velca founders Gabriele Vedani and Daniele Casaroli.

We would like to thank them and the Vedani and Casaroli families for sharing so much beauty. Thanks also to the former employees, to the Municipality of Legnano for its patronage, to Mayor Lorenzo Radice and Councillor Guido Bragato for their attention. 

Thanks also to the Associazione 5Vie that allowed Legnano to be part of a historic Fuorisalone District.

Finally, special thanks to journalist Paolo Girottithe creator and curator of the exhibition. Our great, passionate guardian of the fire.