Untold History of the Interaction Design Institute Ivrea (2000-2005)

Abstract

Funded in 2000 in Northern Italy, the Interaction Design Institute Ivrea (IDII) was a two-year post-graduate program entirely devoted to educate professionals to tackle a new interpretation of the relationship between human beings, design and digital technologies. This paper retraces the history and the legacy of this Institution and how it was deeply related to Olivetti’s culture, bringing to a wider audience the experimental and visionary educational program through the lenses of some of its main characters: Mr. Franco Debenedetti, IDII Founder and President, Ms. Gillian Crampton Smith, School Director, Ms. Simona Maschi, member of the resident Faculty, and Mr. Giorgio Olivero, student and researcher at that time. The opening in 2021 of the Easy as a Kiss. Vision, story and impact of Interaction Design Institute Ivrea exhibition, curated by Jan-Christoph Zoels, pushed us to explore the origin of the Institution and present a retrospective of the experience.