Ettore Sottsass Jr. and Perry King
Ettore Sottsass Jr., Designer
Italian, born Austria (Innsbruck, Austria, 1917 - 2008, Milan, Italy)Perry King, Collaborator
British (London, England, 1938)Ing. C. Olivetti & C., Manufacturer
(Ivrea, Italy, Established 1908)Valentine Portable Typewriter
The Valentine is made of orange-red injection-molded ABS, in keeping with the 1960s-era craving for brightly colored plastics. The machine is light, easy to carry, and can be used anywhere, since its rigid case also serves as a work surface.
Sottsass stated that it "was invented for use anyplace except in an office, so as not to remind anyone of monotonous working hours, but rather to keep amateur poets company on quiet Sundays in the country or to provide a highly colored object on a table in a studio apartment." His subversion of the idea of a typewriter as a practical instrument has profoundly influenced designers of today, such as Philippe Starck, for whom usefulness is only part of the design equation.
Keywords
typewriters, red, functional, machines
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