Milano, Italy
Achille Castiglioni and Gianfranco Cavaglià designed the CENTO3 Writing Instruments in 2001, which are now engineered, produced and distributed 20 years later by EGO.M 20 for Kassandra.
Giovanna and Carlo Castiglioni tell the story of how they found the prototypes of this unpublished project by Achille Castiglioni hidden and kept behind the big angular mirror in their father’s studio in Milan.
Hidden within the 2012 headquarters of the Fondazione Achille Castiglioni, the prototypes were the last of his career, co-signed with architect Gianfranco Cavaglià: the writing instruments.
The wooden prototypes, created by expert cabinetmaker Pierluigi Ghianda, replicate the trilobate arched shape studied by Castiglioni and Cavaglià that, thanks to its distinctive ergonomy, represents the true alliance between mind, hand, and object, as well as having the particularity of not rolling on a table.
The project was left in a drawer for many years, as it had not yet found the indispensable and precise interpretation of the original design goals, as well as the investments required for the complex production of such an unusual chosen shape.
Then, in 2020, Fondazione Achille Castiglioni and Gianfranco Cavaglià met EGO.M, a young Italian design studio to which they entrusted the development, engineering, and production of the project, revealed on the date of Achille’s 103rd birthday: February 16th, 2021.
Respectfully aware of their responsibility, having ascertained the basics of the project, its ethos, and its original intentions from Cavaglià during a year of collaborative work, EGO.M focused on the realization of the instruments.
During the constant dialogue between the partners, the project drawings were carefully analyzed, with just three among the wooden prototypes selected for production: a mechanical pencil, a multifunctional art pencil, and a fountain pen in pocket version.
The selection was by no means casual, but rather it aligned with a precise vision for the project: the mechanical pencil represents the technical drawing, the multifunctional art pencil is practical, handy, and appropriate for many uses, and the fountain pen has been deliberately chosen in a pocket version to be more contemporary, unconventional, and closer to the younger generations.
The rigor, engineering, and structural development of the collaboration between EGO.M and architect Cavaglià coexists in the collection with the sharpness and irony of every Achille Castiglioni project.
The original features of innovation, sustainability, respect of quality, and cost-containment that architect Castiglioni assigned to the project in order to ensure its wide and democratic accessibility have in fact been fully interpreted and respected by the EGO.M team, given that those values are embraced at the core of their philosophy and modus operandi.
Fused Deposition Modeling, a three-dimensional printing technique, has been selected for production due to versatility which enables it to produce that unique shape. It’s interesting to note that the existence and application of such a technology has enabled the realization of a project left in a drawer hitherto because of production issues.
The 3D printing process is based on the additive manufacturing technique that, starting from a blank space, allows the printer to deposit material only where necessary, layer by layer, up to the top of the object, therefore realizing production without any waste.
In this kind of process, the attention to materials – so important to the architects, Castiglioni and Cavaglià – is truly essential. EGO.M therefore focused its research on finding something innovative for the writing world that could also interpret the fundamentals of the project.
Graphene immediately seemed the right choice due to its natural features and finish, its mechanical properties, and its color.
Graphene is composed of a monoatomic layer of carbon and graphite, made of a carbon layering, so it seemed appealing to finalize the writing concept by employing the writing itself as the principal material: a pencil made of pencil or, better, made of graphene!
3D printing also leaves a particular texture on the objects: a trace, like a scar, that represents value, a sign of authenticity that certifies the slowness of production and the uniqueness of each piece.
In addition to being smooth to the touch, the instruments also have a knurl grip that allows for more comfort, also thanks to their pleasant lightness that Cavaglià says “we considered an absolutely positive feature for a writing instrument”.
With this production technique, every piece is realized individually, allowing it to be referred to as industrial craftsmanship.
The slow creation, the thickness of the sides, and other important printing parameters determine the final rigidity of the object, giving it resistance to impacts.
Project: CENTO3 Writing Instruments
Original Designers: Achille Castiglioni and Gianfranco Cavaglià
Designers: EGO.M Design Studio
Manufacturer: Kassandra slr.
