Tin

Diamonds are forever, it is said, although one day they too, like heaven and earth, will pass away. Tin is not so durable, nor so pure, since it is formed by the combination of tin and aluminum. And yet, it is no less worthy of honor. First of all, because it gives the chance of durability to what is perishable by nature, food. The property of tin not to alter foods has been appreciated for centuries.

The same goes for the strength of steel. Only a few products can put this to the test. We are faced with the example of a material perfected over time, adapted to the most varied needs, which replaced other materials with the same functions, which was then in turn replaced by innovative materials such as plastic and aluminium, and yet which has remained in production for one of the most typically human needs: to take food far, in time and space.

From the outset, tin also proved to be suitable for responding to another need, that of beauty. Here the discourse opens to the history of toys and decorations, and continues on those curious social groups, transversal to all latitudes and longitudes, which devote themselves to collecting.

Fabio Arduini

NP Gennaio 2023