CINI BOERI

Maria Cristina Mariani Dameno is a formidable figure in Italian architecture and design. The youngest sister to three brothers, she was nicknamed Cini, an amalgam of ‘picinin’ meaning ‘little’ and an ironic xxx. It was a moniker that stuck, and when she entered the Italian Design scene she began practicing under this name – despite her career being anything but small.

Cini’s childhood was spent under Mussolini’s rule. Her family was staunchly anti-fascist, and as a teen Cini was tasked with couriering important documents across the country for a clandestine women’s network know as the Stafette. It was a dangerous undertaking - as those captured by blackshirts squads were subject to torture, imprisonment and ultimately execution.

During this time Italians experienced desperate economic hardship – with severe shortages of food, materials and jobs - and growing up in such an environment one needed to be both creative and resourceful. Cini was both – she sewed clothes from parachute material, and repurposing signal lamps for lighting her home.

When Cini turned 18 she enrolled in Milan Polytechnic to pursue an education in Architecture and Design. Graduating in 1951, she was one of only three female graduates. Immediately recognised for her innovative thinking and talent, she was offered an internship at Gio Ponti’s prestigious studio, and thereafter was invited to work for Marco Zanuso – a fellow graduate – at his design firm. Zanuso was an instant heavyweight in Italian design, and Cini worked in his proverbial shadow. The 1950s was a time of great gender injustice, and as a woman in Italian design, her work was often relegated to a secondary status.

It was during this time Cini met Franca Helg. Helg worked for esteemed architect Franco Albini; executing ambitious design projects as La Rinascente department store in Rome and subway stations for the Milan Metro. Highly respected though she was by her peers, Franca Helg was never accorded the same credit or stature as Franco Albini. Working under a successful male peer for so long made her indissoluble from him - and due to the gender politics of the time, she was rendered invisible.

At Franca Helg’s suggestion – Cini made the bold move to leave her job with Marco Zanuso, and open her own design studio - Cini Boeri Architetti. It was here that Cini forged a prolific and productive career as an architect and industrial designer, soon known as a leading figure in experimentation of new materials and radical architecture. One factor that set her apart from other designers was her resourcefulness. Her focus on efficient manufacturing - using minimal materials to create her works - whilst not compromising artistic integrity was central to her success.

In 1979 her STRIPS sofa – a reinterpretation of a sleeping bag – won the prestigious Compasso d'Oro. Soon after she designed numerous successful and critically acclaimed furnishings – the Serpentone sofa, the Lunario table, Gradual lounge and Ghost armchair to name but a few. In the realm of architecture, she was celebrated for numerous projects - including the Casa Bunker, Villa Rotonda and Casa nel Bosco.

Today Cini is regarded as one of the Italian Design greats - a title that was not afforded to her early in her career. Her legacy is one of not only excellence in design, architecture and ingenuity - but in her pioneering for women’s place within a male dominated sphere.