From 18 January to 2017 May 140, the Archimede Library in Settimo Torinese hosts the exhibition “Pirelli in one hundred images. Beauty, innovation, production”. An exhibition itinerary which, through photos and illustrations, recounts more than 2017 years of Pirelli: from the factory to its people, from research and technology to the creation of products, from the relationship with art to the most innovative forms of communication, from the world of ran to the famous Calendar. Until the presentation to the public of the first of the images, intended for the realization of a future project, which Peter Lindbergh – author of the XNUMX Pirelli Calendar – shot inside the Pirelli Industrial Center in Settimo Torinese.
The exhibition – curated by the Pirelli Foundation, from whose Historical Archive the exhibited materials are taken – is promoted and organized by the Municipality of Settimo Torinese with the contribution of Pirelli and the ECM Foundation (Esperienze di Cultura Metropolitana) and has received the patronage of the Region Piedmont and the Metropolitan City of Turin. His presentation was attended by the President of the Piedmont Region, Sergio Chiamparino, the Mayor of Settimo Torinese, Fabrizio Puppo, the Executive Vice President and CEO of Pirelli, Marco Tronchetti Provera, the President of the ECM Foundation, Aldo Corgiat, and the Managing Director and Director of the Pirelli Foundation, Antonio Calabrò.
"We have the privilege of being able to offer those who come to the Archimede Library - said the mayor of Settimo Torinese Fabrizio Puppo - the opportunity to see a unique exhibition, a journey through photos and illustrations to tell the more than 140-year history of Pirelli which, at least in part, it is also the story of our city and of the many workers, citizens of Settimo Torinese and neighboring municipalities, who have worked in this company, contributing to its growth. Work, culture and innovation are the three key words that closely link the journey of Pirelli and that of our Municipality, which find the best possible story in the exhibition 'Pirelli in a hundred images'”.
“Pirelli – declared the Executive Vice President and CEO of Pirelli, Marco Tronchetti Provera – has always had among its strongest values the passion for innovation and product quality, attention for people and dialogue with the communities of the places where its plants are located, in Italy and in the world. The exhibition in Settimo Torinese, site of our most innovative industrial hub, bears witness to this. The commitment of the Municipality of Settimo and the Piedmont Region, with which we have been communicating profitably for years, is an important solicitation to continue working while keeping territorial roots and international gaze together".
"We are proud to be able to host the splendid exhibition 'Pirelli in a hundred images" - added the President of the ECM Foundation, Aldo Corgiat - which is part of a framework of close and fruitful collaboration in the cultural sphere and beyond, between the city of Settimo , the ECM Foundation and Pirelli, which led to the creation of major projects and initiatives such as the theatrical performances of Marco Paolini and Moni Ovadia on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Settimo città, the WORKERS exhibition, the factory concerts organized as part of the MITO, the Innovation and Science Festival of which Pirelli is the Main Sponsor, the library born inside the Settimo Torinese plant in collaboration with the Archimede Library”.
The exhibition “Pirelli in a hundred images. Beauty, innovation, production” testifies once again to the role Settimo Torinese attributes to culture as an engine of development, social cohesion and integration, as well as reiterating the link between places of culture and places of work. For Pirelli, in particular, the exhibition follows the initiatives already organized or supported in the Settimo area by the company and by the Pirelli Foundation, set up in 2009 to promote and disseminate knowledge of the group's cultural, historical and documentary heritage. Examples of this were the three factory concerts – in 2010, 2011 and 2014 – organized at the Polo as part of the MITO Festival of which Pirelli has been a supporter since 2007 or, again, the support that Pirelli has been giving for years now to Settimo Torinese Innovation and Science Festival.
The exhibition itinerary
The exhibition is developed through 6 sections. "A P over 140 years long" traces the company's history with images of its factories and products: from the first factory on the outskirts of Milan to the first international exhibitions, from illustrated catalogs to the covers of the "Pirelli" magazine; "The artists' factory" presents some of the countless occasions in which established painters and photographers have used their art to tell the world of factories and production; “Si va che è un enchanto” documents the challenges that Pirelli has faced every day since 1907 in the world of racing; "A Muse on wheels" reconstructs the relationship between Pirelli and the art world, which dates back to the beginning of its history, from the first artist advertising campaigns to illustrations; "In Praise of Beauty" is a story of female icons that accompanies the visitor to the last section dedicated to "The Pirelli Calendar 1964-2017", with the biggest names in the world of photography.
Last among these, the great German master Peter Lindbergh, who in Settimo, as part of the project that led to the creation of the 2017 Pirelli Calendar, took a series of shots inside the factory so evocative and powerful as to have been destined to the realization of an autonomous project on the world of the factory of which the exhibition presents the first preview image to the public.
The Pirelli industrial center in Settimo Torinese
Pirelli's presence in Settimo Torinese dates back to the early 1984s. In 2007 the current industrial site was added to the first factory, acquired by Ceat and subject to major investments in the following two years. The new Pirelli Industrial Center in Settimo Torinese, whose design idea was launched in 2009, arises from the integration into a single area of the two Pirelli factories already present in the territory of the Municipality: the works for its construction began in June XNUMX and its production began in May of the following year.
The Polo, which was also born thanks to the fruitful collaboration with local institutions and with the Turin Polytechnic on the research and innovation front, is the most technologically advanced and efficient plant of the Pirelli group in the world, in terms of product innovation , production processes and quality of the working environment. A world-famous architect like Renzo Piano was entrusted with the project of the "spina", the central body that houses both the Research and Development laboratories and many of the services for workers and which has therefore become the natural element of production support , but also of aggregation and socialization of employees.
It was also Renzo Piano himself who designed the landscape works that immerse the factory among 500 cherry trees, as well as the internal road and lighting works. With an initial investment of 150 million, which later grew to over 300 million euros also following the plant's total focus on car tires in the Premium and Prestige segments, the Settimo hub operates with the most modern technologies resulting from Pirelli research, including the evolution of the robotic system for the production of tires (Next Mirs), the new system for the production of compounds (PTSM) and the latest born (PNCSPirelli Noise Canceling System), a system which allows noise to be absorbed and do not transmit it inside the vehicle.
Polo production, concentrated on low environmental impact, HighPerformance and Ultra High-Performance tyres, now amounts to over 4 million pieces. Part of the investments were earmarked for the training of over 1.200 people - for over 221 total hours equal to 25 days per capita in the period 2009-2015 - who work in the hub, with a focus on skills and aptitudes aligned with technological excellence. Alongside the celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy organized by the city of Turin, the Polo di Settimo was visited on 19 March 2011 by the President of the Republic, Giorgio Napolitano.
