On the afternoon of 9 June 2022, Francesco Binfaré stepped onto the stage at La Scala in Milan. The reason why he was there is important. But in the meantime, it is more interesting to know what went through his mind when he first set foot in that historical theatre: “La Scala is a solemn and perfect space, but it knows how to be human. Its proportions, size, and shape combine respect for sound with the gift of being welcoming”. And then, Binfaré thought that this has also much in common with his subject matter: something that eludes, that one does not really understand, but whispers magic, giving confidence. 

Using an axe where a scalpel would be needed, it can be said that Binfaré's subject matter is ideas. His kind of ideas: "When people ask me what my job is, I never know what to say. I have visions that generate processes.” And it all starts with angels: “For me, they are the representation of what mystery is. They are the source of my ideas. I do not know whether the angels are outside me or inside me. They are in a space between dreaming and getting awake. They are the dream that becomes real.” 

Binfaré designs sofas. Which are made of stuff you can touch: foams, fabrics, joints and widgets. But his matter is a breath/blow that comes long before that. “It is sublime. The architecture of La Scala is also sturdy: walls, stage, stalls, wings, boxes, and ceiling. But the power of its effectiveness comes from elsewhere. It comes from all this, but also from elsewhere. So, my matter is to be sought in that elsewhere”. Therefore, do not let yourself be confused by the word matter. It makes one think of the law of nothing is created, nothing is destroyed, everything is transformed. Binfaré has something else in mind:

Even the word that expresses a thought is matter. And the voice reading a poem is matter. The matter may be eternal, but if it bears no idea, it is just stone. Things that last forever are works of art, but even those must come to terms with the matter they are made of. That is why I don’t want to play with the eternity of matter. I prefer to play with beauty, which becomes the medium to convey ideas and perhaps a message 

Techniques and craftsmanship are needed to transform Bifaré’s ideas into matter. Binfaré's art stretches that far: “I know the language of skilled people, and this allows me to guide the processes of production when empathy is more required than ideas”. For Binfaré, the strength of some materials is to be found in their ability to narrate ideas: “Like certain fabrics that Edra creates for my sofas. Their reflections, their glow, and the sensations they give when touched are the result of a form of art. Which, in this case, merges with craft, with a piece that owes much to intelligence and creativity, but more to intelligence than creativity”. 

However, one should not always believe what Binfaré says. For example, it is not true that he doesn’t play with the eternity of matter. Just follow his reasoning, which starts from the farthest island and slowly makes its way to the continent. All one has to do is wait for the right wind, the right waves. And when everything comes into line, Binfaré recalls that his ability of visioning has resulted in at least three inventions: the Smart Cushion, which is adjustable and tilts in every direction; the separation of the backrest from the seat; and then the Flap sofa, which represents the idea of a shape. “They are archetypes, they are valuable engineering. It is a question of semantics”. And the language is not exactly eternal, but it comes close to it or, at least, tries to. That is why Binfaré set foot on the stage of La Scala for the first time on that June afternoon. It was the rehearsal for an evening organised in his honour by Edra, commemorating Giovanni Gastel. The actual ceremony would start a few hours later. With Binfaré as the star. A master who invented a language. 

Giampaolo Grassi Parliamentary reporter for the Italian Press Agency Ansa. Before taking an interest in politics, he was in charge of legal news in Florence and fi nancial news in Milan.