The Dream Factory

The Dream Factory: Alessi Since 1921 is a book by Alberto Alessi, pub. by Könemann, 1998. 128 pages, 12 x 20.5 cm, softcover, illustrated in black and white and color. ISBN 3-8290-1377-9

The book details the history of Alessi, the Italian design firm, from the early days of the Alessi family in the Strona Valley, through the practical metal goods of the 1920s and 1930s, to the cutting edge design of the products produced by the company today. Alberto Alessi describes the trasition of the company from one that made merely fuctional objects to one that manufactures objects that are visually pleasing, mechanically functional, and beautiful.

The book is divided by designer, devoting four or five pages to most, providing a brief biography, a description of the products they designed for Alessi, and how those products came into being. The designers described include:

• Ron Arad
• Andrea Branzi
• Achille Castiglioni
• Frank Gehry
• Stefano Giovannoni
• Michael Graves
• Enzo Mari
• Alessandro Mendini
• Philippe Starck
• Aldo Rossi
• Richard Sapper
• Ettore Sottsass
• Robert Venturi
• Goido Venturini

The book is an excellent introduction to products manufactured by Alessi and its philosophy of design. It also includes an extremely extensive bibliography of all things Alessi.

The title for Prince's planned 1987 triple LP. Heavily infused with jazz from his collaborations with Miles Davis, the project was ultimately scaled back for commercial reasons and became the critically acclaimed Sign O' The Times.

The title track is an upbeat jazz piece heavy on the horns and keys. Songs from the sessions appeared on later albums, such as The Black Album, Lovesexy, Graffiti Bridge, Batman, The Hits, The Vault, and Crystal Ball.