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There he is, as always, in my thoughts when I make my morning espresso. I never drank coffee before meeting Vittorio Giorgini, my architecture professor at Pratt Institute. All-nighters were inevitable nearing the end of the semester, building models and drawing our building design projects. He made me a stiff cup of this elixir in his Wooster Street loft studio one evening, and it was rocket fuel for me. Still is. Thanks, Vittorio!
In my daily design practice, the most frequent reminder of Vittorio for me is the "transition", that step between two architectural elements in a large or small scale, that step between two periods of one's life or situation, those steps between the steps, that define our lives, our cultures, and our built environment. It was a simple lesson he gave me, which has served as a key, a reminder that there is always another way to perceive and to approach any kind of problem or challenge, in design and in life, and to see it in the context of the larger nature surrounding us. Thank you Vittorio, for the keys.
My Profesore' introduced me to the Club of Rome's book "Limits to Growth", which has been a beacon for my thinking about humanity's place in the life of our planet. I have always wondered how, and more importantly why, humans are the only species on earth to manipulate and violate the laws of Nature. Vittorio's insistence on "balance" in everything, from economy, to useful combination of functions, artful composition of forms, and harmonious relationship to Nature, has shaped me all my life. I feel him with me when I plant my garden, trim fruit trees, brew beer, bake bread, ride bicycle, fly on skis, and more than all these, when I Design.
Sam emailed me the day after Vittorio died, February 18, 2010. Although his health, especially his eyesight, had been failing him over the last decade, and although he smoked cigarettes all his life, his death after emergency heart surgery still came as a shock. Sam had been closer to Vittorio than any of us from the 70's generation of students, visiting Vittorio and Caroline twice a year for a long time. Sam and Vittorio were like son and father. It gave me great pleasure to see that they meant so much to each other, and that Sam arranged his retirement to include a large sailboat in the Medterranean, where they were able to enjoy great times together.
In the weeks following Vittorio's death, several students from later generations of Vittorio's Pratt Instititue design studio, found this "Dear Vittorio" blog of stories, and got in touch with me. Even our long-lost friend, Vittorio's ex-wife Kathy Boyko, found me here and reached out, to the delight of us all. Sam and Bean offered to host a gathering in Vittorio's honor at their loft in New York. When I realized how many people from several "waves" of students would be attending, I couldn't resist, and made travel plans for New York on March 19. I am glad I did.
We began another blog, on which many of Vittorio's students, friends and family are posting photographs, messages, and discussing ideas for projects, scholarships, competitions. We call this blog "Salute' Vittorio!"
The gathering to celebrate Vittorio's life and work was attended by Haresh Lalvani, Giuliano Fierenzoli, and Brent Porter, fellow professors from Pratt, and by students from three distinct "waves of enthusiasm", our group from the mid-70's, a large group from the 80's, and some from the 90's. Everyone signed into a clipboard, and I placed their names and email addresses on a sidebar on the new blog.
There was a long round of toasts to Vittorio, from each of us around the room, with declarations of the inspirations each of us received from our profesore'. Ideas were floated, regarding scholarships, competitions, improvements to the blog, translations of some of Vittorio's later publications, and re-publication of his book "Spatiology", which contains Vittorio's own design theories, personally written, but very poorly printed in its only publication. Jee Won Kim still has the plates for the book, and has vowed to pursue finding a new publisher. Anyone who can help should get in touch with him. If the re-publication effort does not pan out, we discussed the goal of making Vittorio's work accessible to future design students, using an e-book publication strategy. All of these ideas will be explored and discussed with Vittorio's family.
When I lost my grandparents and my father, I grappled with ways of remembering them in my daily life, without succumbing to the emotional grief that accompanied each memory. Since their departures from my life, I have come to feel their presence whenever I think of them. I have also come to see these wonderful people in the faces, the voices, the memories of the people they loved, their friends and family. Each time I see one of them in this way, it brings a feeling of joy to my heart. I realize I don’t have to miss them so much, because they are always right here with me.
Grandpa once told me that he wanted to “ride on my handlebars” when I was leaving his house in upstate Connecticut to ride my bicycle to Mom’s house on the shore. Ever since he said that, I always think of him “riding along” on any adventure I take. I think the same way about Vittorio, especially when I’m skiing, something he and I enjoyed together a few times. I think of him while I’m making my coffee, or when I’m sharing sips of Grappa with friends. And when I think of him, I imagine that he is there with me, and I get a very nice feeling that lasts a long time, and I know it’s just his wonderful friendship, and I’m glad to treasure it and to be able to share it.
Salute' Vittorio!
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