name: The Last Pot
client: ITM by Alessi
date:  aprile 2025
project assistant: Luca Madonini

Giulio Iacchetti is the creator of the exhibition design for THE LAST POT by Il Tornitore Matto by Alessi—the brand he co-founded with Alberto Alessi. The exhibition is set in a neighborhood library, an intimate space infused with a thirst for knowledge. Here, ten funerary urns designed by ten internationally renowned creators—Michael Anastassiades, David Chipperfield, Michele De Lucchi, EOOS, Naoto Fukasawa, Audrey Large, Daniel Libeskind, Philippe Starck, and Mario Tsai—make their public debut.

For the exhibition structure, the unique Diafos material by Abet Laminati was chosen. Both structural and translucent, its opaline texture creates a poetic dialogue with the themes of evanescence, presence, and absence—echoing the very essence of the objects on display and their intended purpose.

Teardrop

“Looking again at the urn I designed, I find references to the profile of a tear and a maternal womb: the metaphorical symbol of pain for a loss and the nest of life that find in the same design, an unexpected formal and spiritual overlap…”

Teardrop consists of two separate elements: the marble base features a concave section that supports the second element, the ashes container, which is designed like a vessel with a soft form and curved base.

The urn can be positioned on the base at different angles to create a sense of movement, bringing unexpected dynamism. The vessel is designed to be lifted with both hands, encouraging direct and affectionate contact, creating a sense of closeness with the departed.

A small blind hole has been included in the lid to hold an incense stick that can be lit when desired, with the intention of establishing a ritual element.

The smaller version of the urn is designed for pets.