‘Stand up for green’ is the award competition set up by MIDO to reward exhibitors who plan and create their stand according to eco-friendly criteria. The award sprang from the idea of recognising the commitment made by exhibitors to protecting the environment and their attention to good practices for sustainable living.
General sustainability of the stand, the level of innovation, originality and ability to offer the public a positive message on the importance of eco-friendly choices for the future of individuals and the planet: these are the criteria that led the judging panel to assign this year’s award to the Neapolitan company, Good’s.
How much importance does your company assign to sustainability?
It’s fundamental, because our entire project is based on ethics and sustainability, both in terms of choice of materials and brand philosophy. Sustainability is a much-abused word and I believe it’s necessary to begin with a circular project from the very outset, as we did in 2019 when we launched our company.
How did you come up with the idea of creating your exhibition space at MIDO?
Our stand reflects our brand: it was designed as an extension of the Architecture collection, created as a tribute to the architecture from which it draws inspiration. In this collection, architecture is rediscovered in the details, particularly in the design of the temples, where ashlar block pattern, pilasters and half-pilasters are reproduced in miniature.
In line with our project, the idea that guided the design of our stand came from the belief that the act of observing involves not only the eyes but also the mind, guiding a gaze beyond shape and colour in order to grasp the essence and soul of objects. The entire project revolved around an artwork of 6 x 2.40 m, entitled ‘Alchimie’, which took up a whole wall panel, created by artist Maurizio Rodriguez. This work set out to visually communicate the transformation of material and the birth of an object, summarising a design and cultural journey by using a collage of ‘black and white’ photographs to visualise the passage from the dark underground to the lights of the city and the act of ‘seeing’.
The work will be dismantled in 90 sections, then numbered and signed by the artist and given to customers. Thus, a unique work will be transformed into a new artistic creation which is offered a new life. Alongside the goal of reusing the stand backdrop, there was also the underlying concept that ninety opticians together can recompose the work like a jigsaw, each with his/her own piece, reinforcing the concept of community.
Underneath the artwork ran a floor created with the scrap remains of decking boards used when restoring historic Neapolitan churches and buildings, donated by the A.Re.N. Neapolitan Association of Restorers. Thus, it referenced the scaffolding set up under artworks earmarked for restoration, to underline the
fundamental conservation work of the artistic and cultural heritage of our country.
Also the seven exhibit display units and two desks were made from scrap material from building sites: decking boards, supported by UPN (metal C-channel section beams used in the construction industry).
Also in the other materials used, great attention was paid to the adoption of eco-friendly solutions, as in the production of the glasses themselves. In fact, the seats and backs of the chairs were made in the same corn fibre fabric that Good’s uses to make their glasses cases while the stationery, brochures and advertising material were produced with eco friendly paper.
Thus, the general approach was to use as far as possible materials that have been salvaged and recycled for the stand to prevent waste. Nothing that was used to produce the stand was thrown away after the fair and will be used for future fairs or to furnish the ‘display sitting room’ at Good’s store in Naples.
Did you expect to win?
No, we had no expectations, it was a really unexpected surprise!
Do you think that this award can help your business in some way?
This award is very gratifying to us because it means that we have succeeded in transmitting our message and it has increased brand awareness.