GRIFFO. The Great Gala of Letters. La grande festa delle lettere. All rights reserved Associazione Francesco Griffo da Bologna

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1 GRIFFO The Great Gala of Letters La grande festa delle lettere

2 Innovation is all around and everywhere; it is a constant movement: velocity without recall. Every day we get in touch with items that grow smarter as they need less of our comprehension and awareness. Ironically, the more we inhabit technology, from the Greek discourse on the arts arts as ability to craft the less we know it. Behind every new technology lays the story of who created something that did not exist before, rediscovering it leads us on an inspiring journey through genius, courage and unyielding passion.

3 Griffo the great gala of letters, celebrates an extraordinary cultural heritage, it tells the adventure of a prodigious inventor of the Renaissance and it brings back to consideration an invaluable tool that accompanies our daily life. Francesco Griffo is the inventor of italics and he is recognised as the most important figure in the history of type, and he is a protagonist of the Renaissance: the age when the printing press becomes a crucial tool of civilization will mark the 500th anniversary of Griffo s death. This represents a unique opportunity to promote the importance of typography and of printed letters to the circulation of knowledge and ideas. The project, which will develop in the next four years, will have a far-reaching program, spread on the territory, and it will engage a diverse audience from tourists and schoolchildren, to professionals and enthusiasts. It will also be an occasion to reward local excellence by facilitating interdisciplinary opportunities and international exchange.

4 Celebration We use them everywhere, ever since they were created, let s celebrate an epoch-making human creation - our letters. Innovation World-moving ideas, Spurring society through revolutionary ideas Awareness Where does milk come from? And bread? And letters? Multidisciplinarity Crossroad of different worlds as a key for innovation and creation. craftsmanship, technology, design

5 Goals 1/ Research: fill in the gaps Scientific historical research aimed at telling the life story of an extraordinary craftsman within the great tale of typography: from the scribes that preceded him, to the punch-cutters who carried on his work. Do justice through history: Griffo s life has never been honoured as it should. For a long time we only knew that a master craftsman named Francesco da Bologna had carved some of the most beautiful typefaces of all times. The identity of the master remained a mystery until the end of the nineteenth century, when his real surname was uncovered, together with some more details about his life. As of today Griffo s work still is one of the most significant cornerstones for scholars of typography and professionals worldwide. His typefaces have influenced type designers of all times and nationality and some are still in current use, all over the world. 2/ Rediscovery of cultural heritage: This is an opportunity to make internationally known the genius of Griffo and to show the impact his work had, not only on the shape of type as we know it, but also on the evolution of printed books: the first industrial commodity in history and the vehicle of knowledge and ideas. Bring the letters to the public spotlight and into the collective consciousness, by telling the story of the most important protagonist in the history of type design. Rediscover the origins of the alphabet we learn to read and write as kids: those letters that are part of our daily experience. Provide the tools to observe, understand and appreciate their design. 3/ Network of cooperation The development of a network of collaborations will allow to experiment new synergies between local institutions, schools and professionals in the arts (writing, type design, illustration, graphic design, and more). Promote outstanding professionals, by giving visibility to expertise of international level and by favouring exchanges among specialists. Boost home-grown excellence, by fostering relations with other spheres and institutions on an international level. 4/ international dissemination Generate a two-way dialogue between Italy and the rest of the world. Tourism sector-specific and for professionals, but also at large. Format: structure the various activities (exhibit, workshops, didactic activities, seminars) in replicable and exportable formats. 5/ A cross-cutting project The project is addressed to a variety of different audiences and conceived in custom-cut formats for each of the target community: professionals, students, families.

6 Activities Research Updating and detailing Griffo s biography and work through the analysis of historical data and the scientific analysis of his typefaces. Creation of exhibitions and conferences aimed at scholars and professionals. Analysis, validation and update of biographic materials and review of the existing and ongoing research Examination of Griffo s typefaces aimed at scientific cataloguing Dissemination of results on the website Research, transcription and translation of archival documents, in collaboration with the University of Bologna Promotion Promotion of the territory and of Italian excellence in the areas of typography, contemporary type design and conservation and management of historical heritage. Workshops Seminars Exhibits Tours/itineraries visiting the places of Griffo s life. Dissemination and education Popularisation and teaching of the history and value of the printed letters, through the creation of interdisciplinary projects reaching out to a wide audience. Workshops and specialisation seminars for professionals Workshops for children Exhibits Audiovisual production Publications

7 Project Development 2014 > > START Research of historical sources and data on the life of Francesco Griffo, aiming at consolidating the background on which the subsequent phases of the project will thrive. Creation of the project s website: reference and primary source of information, with a regular update of contents and developments of the ongoing historical research, by means of an interactive timeline of Griffo s biography and the history of type. This will be accessible and useful for both a specialised and a general public. PROGRESS Organisation of: - workshops and conferences - workshops for children - collaborations with the academic world (universities, academies, ISIA and schools) Realisation of complementary projects in cooperation with outstanding professionals in the areas of publishing, television, cinema and education and training. CELEBRATION OF THE 500TH ANNIVERSARY International Exhibit Our hero Griffo will guide us across the history of type, from the copyists before him, through the punch-cutters, who continued his legacy, to modern day typefaces, which are still based on his models. The contents will be narrated in a creative and unconventional way, interacting with the audience and appealing to all their senses, for a total engagement of the public. An exciting multimedia path that will guide us through the mysterious and fascinating life of Griffo, as well as narrating the crucial passage from manuscript to print. The exhibit will explore: the key role of type in the transmission of ideas and information, the birth of printing shops as the first example of industrial production and of the first cooperatives, and the violent silencing of those who promoted the diffusion of new ideas and the democratisation of the written word. The staging of the exhibit will be studied in the perspective of making it easily adaptable to a variety of different settings, in Italy and abroad.

8 Partners and Supporters so far Bologna City Hall Bottega di Narrazione Finzioni The libraries institution of Bologna Biblioteca dell Archiginnasio Genus Bononiae - Museums in the City MAMbo Bologna Modern Art Museum, Education Department Music Museum of Bologna Carlo Zauli Museum, Faenza Tipoteca Italiana Fondazione Bologna University, Department of Classic Philology and Italian Studies ISIA URBINO, Scuola di Progettazione grafica ed editoriale AIAP, Italian Association of Visual Communication Design ADCI, Italian Art Directors Club ADI, Association for the Industrial Design ACI, Italian Calligraphy Association Anonima Impressori Alberto Tallone Editore SMED - Writing by Hand in the Digital Age

9 Scientific Comittee Contributing to this Project PRESIDENT: Umberto Eco Semiotician, philosopher, essayist, novelist. COORDINATOR: Roberto Grandi Professor of Sociology of Culture and Communication, University of Bologna James Clough Calligrapher, type historian and lecturer at Politecnico di Milano Fabrizio Govi ALAI - Libri Antichi e Librerie Antiquarie Giovanni Lussu Grafico Maria Giuseppina Muzzarelli Professor of Medieval History, University of Bologna Giorgio Montecchi Professor of Bibliography, University of Milan Riccardo Olocco Type designer and historian Paolo Pampaloni, Libreria antiquaria Rare Books Luciano Perondi Director at ISIA Urbino, Type designer. Umberto Pregliasco Libreria antiquaria Pregliasco Giuseppe Richeri Ordinary professor at Università della Svizzera italiana, Lugano Paolo Tinti Assistant professor, Department of Classical Philology and Italian Studies, University of Bologna Germana Albertani Giorgio Affanni Luisa Avellini Giancarlo Basso Sandro Berra Pierangelo Bellettini Giuseppina Boiani Tombari Maddalena Bracchetti Carlo Branzaglia Barbara Calzolari Mara Campana Ippolita Checcoli Michele Cogo Cristina De Rubertis Daniele Donati Mauro Felicori Fernando Figoni Giangiorgio Fuga Beatrice Furlotti Massimo Gonzato Paola Goretti Francesco Griffo Anonima Impressori Michela Iorio Maurizio Marinelli Anna Manfron Giorgio Montecchi Tiziana Pesenti Elisa Rebellato Stefano Riba Rossella Rinaldi Jenny Servino Licia Sirch Enrico Tabellini Enrico Tallone Mauro Zennaro Gabriele Chiapparini Anna Marchi Associazione Francesco Griffo Da Bologna founding members: Manuel Dall Olio e Mirit Wissotzky Graphic designers, Founding partners of Dina&Solomon/ Graphic Design Duet Roberto Grandi Professor of Sociology of Culture and Communication, University of Bologna Martina Malaisi Cultural events manager

10 Open Call The project is open to ideas and contributions and it aims at creating new synergies and facilitating interdisciplinary opportunities and international exchange. Submit your project or input by writing to:

11 PROJECT BY Associazione Francesco Griffo Da Bologna CONTACTS Manuel Dall Olio (+39) Martina Malaisi (+39) CREATED BY Dina&Solomon, graphic design duet facebook.com/griffoanniversary PRESS Michela Iorio twitter.com/griffo500 #Griffo500