CHEESE PLEASE
by Alessi
Cheese grater in 18/10 stainless steel
design Lorenza Bozzoli and Gabriele Chiave
Chosen by Museum of Architecture and Design in Chicago for the GOOD DESIGN Award
This project is a fine example of the use of Metaphor (or perhaps Allegory, or who knows which other of the many figures of speech in linguistics) in the field of design.
I remember that in literature, the term "figure of speech" referred to any artifice in a discourse employed to create a special effect. It occurs when in a sentence a normal term is replaced by another whose essence or function overshadows that of the term original, thus creating a highly-expressive image among the population (examples: "you're such a dunce", "swan song", "sleeping like a log", "the party is in upheaval"...).
Not infrequently used also in the field of design, figures of speech have nearly become fundamental in the case of the so-called playful design: as seen in these three projects by Chiave and Bozzoli in which the Cowbell alludes to the Grater's parmesan cheese, the Belt buckle alludes to the act of tightening the Tube squeezer and the chestnut-shaped Pillbox evokes (for those who recall) the ancient custom of keeping a small portion of chestnut powder handy to put under your nose for medicinal purposes in the event of severe colds.
text by Alberto Alessi.