Ali Filippini

Ali Filippini is a Fixed-term Assistant Professor in the Department of Architecture and Design (DAD) at the Polytechnic University of Turin, Italy, affiliated with the College of Architecture and Design. They serve as Course Collaborator for History of Visual Communication and Design across academic years 2019/20 to 2025/26, specializing in History and Theory of Design modules, and contributed as Course Lecturer for History II in 2019/2020.

Research focuses on Italian design history from the mid-20th century, examining visual communication systems, exhibition practices, and commerce-design intersections. Key interests include post-war Italian design culture, Made in Italy mythology, and regional design heritage in Piedmont, with emphasis on how material culture shapes national identity through case studies of department stores, craft techniques, and urban commercial landscapes.

Recent publications reveal consistent exploration of 1950s-1970s Italian design through diverse artifacts (toys, ceramics, metals) and spatial contexts (Milan's boom economy, La Rinascente exhibitions). Work bridges historical scholarship with contemporary applications in cultural tourism and heritage sustainability, particularly through EU-funded CULTURALITY project research.

Filippini mentors students in design history pedagogy within the History of Visual Communication and Design program and contributes to the EU Horizon Europe CULTURALITY project (2024-2028) as research group member, developing strategies for rural cultural heritage tourism in remote areas.

As core member of the Study Center on the History of Design in Piedmont, they participate in regional documentation initiatives preserving Northern Italy's design legacy through archival research, exhibitions, and collaborative projects with local institutions and designers.