Work: Algol

Description

“Zanuso’s great talent lay in his ability to create archetypes. Yet, he also knew how to play and draw inspiration from other fields—he always possessed this wonderfully playful streak.” — Ennio Brion

The 11-inch Algol television (standing 17 cm high and 34 cm wide) is the definitive portable TV. It was designed for Brionvega by the legendary duo Marco Zanuso and Richard Sapper in 1964.

During the 1960s, the designers worked closely alongside Giuseppe Brion—the visionary Milanese entrepreneur at the helm of Brionvega—and his dedicated research and development team. Together, they developed audio and television equipment that remains in production today; while their internal components have been fully updated for the digital age, they are still manufactured using the exact same original exterior designs.

Upon closer inspection, three specific details stand out as the pillars of Algol’s fame: its organic, continuous silhouette; the characteristic upward tilt of the front casing, which angles the rounded screen perfectly toward the viewer even when placed on the floor; and the integrated pull-out handle that makes it truly portable. The top surface houses the channel selectors, a telescoping antenna, and the dials to adjust the volume and other settings. The television is constructed from a sophisticated blend of ABS plastic, metal, glass, and methacrylate. The model featured in our collection is finished in its iconic, vibrant orange.

As Chiara Alessi notes: “For its time, it was a true revolution that seemed to usher in a new epoch for television. It almost anticipated what would become possible forty years later with smartphones: watching a screen on the go, or even owning more than one device. And though humanity had not yet set foot on the Moon, the idea of a space-age future was already in the air—and embedded in the shapes of everyday things. Thus, that bulbous profile with its rounded corners anticipated by just a few years the very design of the helmet Neil Armstrong would wear during the moon landing. It was a smiling, optimistic future defined by triumph.”

Algol Televisore – duration 1:12
Sonic evocation of the object created by Paolo Ferrario

More info: Algol on the Brionvega website