Ettore Sottsass and the Eco-Thought

The historical, political, and cultural context which currently overwhelms mankind requires an urgent reflection on the protection of the ecosystem and an accurate restoration of the endangered balance between Nature and the artificial environment. In this framework, a reinterpretation of the remarkable research in the field of architecture, design, art and literature carried out by Ettore Sottsass Jr—a forerunner of eco-thought—could be helpful for the implementation of a more conscious and more far-sighted design practice. The aim of this submission is to study the means of expression of the architect-designer’s pioneering point of view; Sottsass was, in fact, a careful observer of the synchronic and symbiotic relationship between man and the Earth, which he explored especially in two groundbreaking writings: Graffi d’Amore sulla Pelle del Pianeta and Il Pianeta come Festival. Published in 1971 and 1972, shortly after the moon landing and shortly before the adoption of austerity policies due to the oil crisis, they both convey a timeless message sent to the younger generations, and inspired by countercultural values, Eastern philosophies, utopian architecture, scientific literature, as well as by science fiction cinema. Sottsass invites young people not to stiffen in tight productive schemes and to open themselves consciously to the knowledge of Nature, thus laying the foundation for an ante litteram sustainable logic, which is the focus of this submission.