Design today has become a fashion phenomenon: no longer about “the harmony and form of function”, its current role lies somewhere between sales promotion and the futility of the objects produced. Punkt. strives to rediscover the true function and harmony of design.”

Oliviero Toscani.

Punkt. is pleased to present its collaboration with the Oliviero Toscani Studio at the 53rd Salone Internazionale del Mobile.

The Swiss technology brand and Oliviero Toscani have partnered to conceive a photographic exhibition which explores the notions of function and design, and reflects the young brand’s philosophy of pioneering solutions for simpler living by creating products that do one thing, but do it well.

The photographs, by Rocco Toscani, depict homing pigeons: the dependable messengers once used by many countries as an important mode of communication. The mechanics of the bird – its eyes, ears and respiratory system – make it ideally suited to the key role it once played.

The perfectly posed pictures restore a quiet dignity to birds that many see purely as a nuisance, and bring their personality to life. Rocco’s aesthetic sensibility resonates with the brand’s vision of celebrating simplicity and enhancing normality through design.

Rocco Toscani has been breeding and racing homing pigeons since 2006 and he wanted to approach his hobby from a professional angle to show the incredible appeal of birds that many see as the lowest rung of the social ladder.

“I pretty much fell in love with homing pigeons immediately: they are fascinating creatures, with all their history, and their ancestral bond to man. They are amazingly strong and determined, and their physical feats can outdo practically any other animal, or human athlete for that matter, yet when you see them in their loft they look delicate, almost fragile.”

Rocco Toscani

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