Work: Bollitore 9091

Description

“An E and a B. Just two musical notes to signal the presence of an object at work, another design product created by Richard Sapper for the Alessi company. The kettle is defined by the designer as a tool for the home that gives form to the solution of problems, fills beauty with meaning, inflecting its usefulness.” — Chiara Alessi

Produced by Alessi since 1983, the 9091 Kettle stands 19 cm high and is crafted from mirror-polished stainless steel in the shape of a reflecting hemispherical dome crowned by a melodic brass whistle. Several distinct elements elevate the 9091 from a simple kitchen utensil to an icon of industrial design, from its bold, expressive handle shielded by a sculptural plastic cover to the dual-barrel brass whistle that evokes the look of miniature organ pipes.
Sapper meticulously engineered the kettle for effortless, single-handed operation: tucked directly beneath the handle is a trigger mechanism which, when pulled, smoothly lifts the whistle to reveal the round spout for filling and pouring while keeping the user’s hand safely away from the steam.

The true genius of the design lies in its acoustic detail, as the brass whistle incorporates two pitch pipes—small tuning devices traditionally used for musical instruments—that chime in harmony when the water reaches a boil, sounding a perfect musical fifth of an E and a B. These are the exact two notes that Sapper fondly remembered hearing resonate from the barges along the River Rhine during his childhood, transforming a routine household alert into a deeply personal melody.

“In the North, kettles are the equivalent of coffee pots to Mediterranean peoples; an almost sacred object, one of those ‘things’ that make a house a home.” — Chiara Alessi

Further info: 9091 kettle on the Alessi website

9091 kettle – duration 1:00

Sonic evocation of the object created by Paolo Ferrario